A Knight's Work Is Never Done
by Ginsan
Summary: Strange events begin to occur in Tokyo as the Scouts start their Senior year in Highschool. A mysterious, and sometimes very mean, new student named Jordan Mallone just might be the cause of it. Can the scouts solve the mystery of Phaeton in time?
1. Disclaimer

Legal Mumbo-jumbo.

First off. I do not own the rights to Sailormoon, or any of it's related merchandise. Those, belong to the DIC, Cloverway (SP?), ADV Films, and several other companies I can't remember right now. All related characters, and merchandice, are the property of Naoko Takeuchi. However, Jordan and his sister Morgan, as well as all the baddies from this story, belong to me, myself, and I. After all, they were born from my twisted visions of reality. X-Box and Halo are property of Microsoft.

Anyway, now for the shout outs and other such dribble :)

Thanks to Lynnwood, for always criticizing my writing. I know that I have some of the worst grammar in the world and she just helps me realize it more. :) Also, thanks for all your inspirational, if sometimes warping, stories of your own. They make me strive to at least make a satisfactory story.

Thanks to April, who will most likely end up proofing this entire story. You just love picking out people's incorrect spellings don't you? Good luck writing your stories and I hope I can nit pick your's as much as you did mine :)

Thanks to Susan, the annoying, yet lovable little sister who loves to criticize everything.

Thanks also to any of my other friends that I can't remember at this time, due to the massive amount of brain cells that gave their lives to bring this story to light.

A small side note. This story does not contain characters and informtaion that souly my property. Z, Jordan's best friend back in L.A., is the property of Lynnwood, as well as Jade, Nathan, and Malcolm.

Now, for those of you who want to critique me or compliment me. Send an e-mail to me at if you really feel like it. Make sure though, to say something to the lines of it being about my Fics in the subject. Otherwise, it'll probably get deleted. Nice or sarcastic comments are welcome. Flames... oh, why the heck not. Flames are welcome too. If nothing else, I can add the names to my Big List of Mean People ;)

For those of you, for whatever strange reason, feel the urge to rescue Jordan/Jorowyn, and include him in your own Sailor Moon story, feel free. Just credit me, and make sure to drop me a line about. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about the poor guy.

I hope everyone enjoys reading this as much as I did writing it.


	2. Chapter 1 Disturbances

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 1: Disturbances

BY: GINSAN

"Good morning Class."

"Good morning Mr. Hijira."

"I see everyone is here today. Before I begin class, we have a new student joining us. Jordan Mallone. He just moved here from America with his family. He is here in class with us, because he scored Perfect marks on all his entrance exams. I'd like you all to make him feel welcome. Come on in Mr. Mallone."

The door to the classroom opened once again as a rather tall, some what good looking, American walked in. Standing a little over six feet, his hair was a dark blond with reddish highlights, pulled back and tied behind his head. Even though his eyes were narrowed a little, their whitish-jade color showed through. It was quite obvious that it would be hard to miss him in a crowd of people. He walked up to Mr. Hijira's desk.

"Well Mr. Mallone, there's an empty seat in the back next to Ms. Mizuno. Ami, wave your hand."

A blue haired girl up in the back row raised her hand. Jordan looked up at her, and nodded his head slightly.

"Typically, new students give a little introductory speech. Would you care to give one Mr. Mallone?"

"No, I wouldn't care to give one." Jordan's deep, yet soft voice shocked the whole class as he made his way to the empty seat, ignoring the staring faces of the class and the teacher as he sat down.

"Um, well ah, ahem." Mr. Hijira was a little taken a back by Jordan's answer, and subsequent actions. "I guess we should start class then. Everybody ah, take out your textbooks and we'll start on Chapter 7: Advanced Trigonometry."

The teacher started droning on, and most of the class started taking notes. Jordan however, sat back in his seat and pulled out a small book and started reading it instead. He held it in such a way that the teacher wouldn't notice. Ami noticed and shrugged her shoulders. If the guy didn't want to pay attention then it would be his fault when he got a lousy grade on the test tomorrow.

Eventually, the bell rang for the class to end and Jordan left. Ami figured the rude American was only in her class for First Period. Unfortunately, he showed up again at Fourth Period for Physics 2. Ami sighed as the kid repeated the same performance as earlier. And he still sat in the seat next to her. She was completely unprepared for what was going to happen next.

* * *

"Good morning class."

"Good morning Dr. Watanabe."

"I take it, that you are our new student, Mr. Mallone?" Dr. Watanabe spoke up to the new face sitting next to Ami.

Jordan smirked from his seat. "Looks that way doesn't it? Or do I have a twin I don't know about?"

Dr. Watanabe frowned at him. "I would advise you Mr. Mallone, that I do not tolerate rudeness in this classroom."

Jordan shrugged, and leaned back into his seat. "You're the teacher."

"That's right, I am the Teacher. I'd advise you not to forget that fact." She turned back, to address the rest of the class. "Now, today we'll be studying Theoretical Quantum Physics." At the several groans from various students, Dr. Watanabe smiled. "Now, now, you only have to put up with it for today and tomorrow. To begin..."

Ami listened attentively to the teacher as she began to give her lesson. She glanced over at Jordan to see if he was still reading his book. Boy was she in for a surprise. He wasn't reading his book, but taking notes on what the teacher said and actually seemed to be paying attention.

The class was nearly over, when the totally unexpected happened.

Jordan asked a question. "Excuse me, Dr. Watanabe."

Dr. Watanabe stopped speaking, and looked up at Jordan, who had his hand raised. "Yes Mr. Mallone, and this better not be another snide remark."

Jordan stood up. "No, it's not. I wanted to ask a question. How do you know for a fact that space-time is linear? From every material on the subject I've ever been able to read, it seems to me that everything would make a whole lot more sense, if Space-Time was an all encompassing sphere."

Jordan sat back down as the whole class looked at him with blank expressions. Ami gave him an odd look, and the teacher stared at him for a minute. The thought of Space-Time being spherical, had obviously never occurred to her.

"Well, um. Wow. I do believe Mr. Mallone, that if you have that figured out you are about ten steps ahead of me on this subject. I guess we should see if this theory of yours can prove to be effective."

The teacher spent the rest of the class at the black board, going through theorem after theorem using Jordan's hypothesis about Space-Time. She was still at it when the bell rang for dismissal to lunch. The whole class stayed in their seats, torn between lunch and seeing what the final result would be on the equation. Jordan, however, got up from his seat, and casually walked out, a huge smirk plastered across his face. The teacher, of course, was still trying to solve the equation.

Ami was about to get up and leave herself, when she noticed a piece of paper that Jordan had dropped on the floor. She picked it up and looked it over. It appeared to be the equation that Dr. Watanabe was working on. This version though, had the answer and something else. Two times were written on the paper. One at the top, at the start of the equation; and one at the bottom, where the solution was. The difference between times almost made Ami dizzy. He'd solved it in under five minutes. It had taken Ami ten minutes, and that was with the help of her mini-computer. She slipped the paper into her book, and quickly left the class room, hoping to catch Jordan. Unfortunately, he was no where in sight among the mass of other students. Considering his height advantage over most of the school, she found that odd.

* * *

That day after school, the arcade was a scene of mass confusion. This highly confusing scene greeted Ami and a few of her friends as they entered the arcade.

"Andrew, what's going on?" Ami asked the guy who ran the arcade.

"Ah, Ami! You girls missed it. That new kid, the one from the high school, he just got the High Score on all eleven Sailor V games, and with a perfect score no less." He kept talking, oblivious to the shocked and hurt looks on Ami and a few of her friends. They had worked hard to get the top scores.

"Now, he's over at the racing game where he's been for the last half hour, challenging people to try and beat him. So far, no one's been able to." He stopped for a second and gave a sideways glance at one of Ami's friends. "Care to challenge him, Amara?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not. He might be a bit of challenge."

Amara smiled to herself, as she made her way to the line at the game. As soon as everyone saw the relatively tall blond, they all got out of the way to let her pass.

Within about five minutes, she was sitting in the machine next to Jordan. "Okay pal, let's see how good you really are."

Jordan smirked, as he waited for the game to start.

In the meantime, Ami and the rest of her friends crowded around the machines.

The game started with Jordan and Amara neck and neck, until the last few laps of the game.

"You drive slow." With those words, Jordan somehow managed to speed ahead of Amara, and by the end of the last lap, he had lapped her.

Silence settled across the arcade. Amara's knuckles turned white as she stared at the screen, which was blinking 'You Lose'.

Jordan sat at his seat with that same smirk. "You could always try again." He looked over at her with the smirk still on his face.

She nearly broke the machine when she hit the continue button.

Half an hour later, the arcade was deserted except for Ami, Amara, the rest of Ami's friends, Andrew, and Jordan as 'You Lose' flashed across Amara's screen for the fifth game in a row. Jordan got up from the game and stretched, touching the ceiling as he put his arms up into the air. He picked up his blue jacket from the back of his machine and slipped it on. The colored crystals on the back made it look odd.

"That was fun. You were almost a challenge for me," he said to Amara, as the steering wheel of the game snapped off in her hands.

Two of Ami's friends stared at Jordan in awe.

The long haired blond with the big, red bow in her hair spoke first. "Wow. You were awesome. Can we have your autograph?"

Jordan looked at them for a minute. "Sure, anything for my fans."

He pulled out a pen, and wrote something on the pieces of paper they gave him. Then he walked away and over to the crane machine and slipped a few coins into it. The two girls stood staring at the two pieces of paper, as what was written on them slowly sank in. They looked up as Jordan snagged a prize in the machine and pulled it out to look at it. A look of pure rage came over the tall, brown haired girl.

Quickly, Ami and the remaining two girls restrained her. "Calm down Lita. What did he write?"

Lita shoved the piece of paper into Ami's face. She looked at it for a second. "Oh my. Um. I can see why you'd be upset, Lita, but it's not going to be worth it to cream the guy. He's a jerk. Has been all day."

Jordan's cell phone rang and he pulled it out and answered it. A few seconds later, a slightly bitter look came across his face and he threw his prize, a little Sailor V doll, into the trash as he walked out of the arcade. As soon as he did, the girls had to turn from restraining Lita, to restraining the blond.

"Down, girl. Chill out, Mina. I'm sure he didn't know what he was doing."

Outside, a motorcycle started up and zoomed off. Almost like it was a signal, Amara finally got up from the racing game and came up to the others. She stormed out past everybody, the broken steering wheel still clutched in her hands.

"Amara, where are you going?"

"To blow off some steam before I kill somebody. Come on Michelle."

A few minutes later, Mina ran to the trash can, grabbing the doll out of it. "Ohhh! Just wait till I get my hands on that guy. First he insults my intelligence, then he insults me! Come on you adorable little doll you. You can just come home with me."

Andrew stared after the girls as they left, trying to figure out Mina's last remark. "I think she's finally snapped." He turned his attention back to the broken racing machine, and sighed. "Well, at least I have something to do until more customers find out that Amara's not going to kill someone. At least in here anyway."

* * *

"You home, Nickie?" A door slammed closed shortly after the now familiar voice of Jordan asked. "If you are, I'll be starting dinner in five minutes."

Jordan walked from the front door to the large room that looked to currently be used for a family room. There he saw his sister sitting in a large chair, remote in her hand and clicking away, looking for something to watch. In the chair next to her sat a pink haired girl that looked about his sisters age.

"I'll take that as a yes. I see you brought a friend home with you?"

His sister got up and nodded, gesturing at the pink haired kid. "One, how many times do I have to tell you to quit calling me Nickie. It's Morgan. You know I hate my middle name. Two, her name's Rini. She's in my class at school."

Rini ran up to him and bowed. "Nice to meet you. Morgan says you go to the high school, and that you're in all the advance classes. Do you know my friend Ami Mizuno? She's really smart too, and goes to the Einstein School sometimes after real school is over. She also helps me and a few other friends with our homework a lot. Since she's not here, can you help us with our homework?"

Jordan stared at her. "You mean that blue haired girl in Physics class? Unfortunately, I think I have to sit next to her in a couple of classes. She didn't seem that smart to me. Took her ten minutes to solve a simple equation."

"You think Mom and Dad will mind if she has dinner with us?"

Jordan snapped, and turned around to face his sister. "How can Mom and Dad care when they're not going to fucking be here. They suddenly developed business meetings, as always, and promptly dropped us out of their schedules yet again. I don't care if your friend stays for dinner or not, just keep her out of my hair."

Jordan turned and started to walk away, but he didn't get three steps before...

"Ohhh! You said a bad word. I'm going to tell on you," said Rini.

Jordan's sister groaned. Jordan turned, and nailed the little pink haired brat with a vicious look.

"Oh, and who the Hell are you going to tell, you damned little bitch? My parents? If they cared about what I just said, it would be the first time they cared about anything but themselves in three damned years. Now shut your little fucking mouth, or I might decide not to fix dinner, and throw you off the roof instead."

Rini burst into tears as he headed for the kitchen.

His sister sighed and wrapped an arm around Rini. "I told you not to make him mad. He hasn't exactly been Mr. Nice Guy, since L.A. If you stop crying, I'll go get you a Popsicle. Strawberry flavor."

Rini stopped crying almost immediately. "For real?"

"For real. Let ME go get it." Entering the kitchen to get the promised frozen treat, she scolded her brother. "You didn't have to cuss her out, much less make her cry, you know."

Jordan laughed to himself as Morgan got a Popsicle out of the freezer. "Probably not, though it sure made my day." He looked at the Popsicle. "I take it, you bribed the brat to stop crying?"

Morgan walked up to the counter, to see what he was cooking for dinner.

He moved aside to let her get a better look. "We'll be having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I'll go eat up in my room. Probably wouldn't be able to eat down here anyway with her around."

She started to leave, then stopped in the doorway of the kitchen to ask him something.

Jordan beat her to it. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. And yes, your other friend in there can stay for dinner as well. She was smart enough to keep her mouth shut."

Morgan growled at him, as she stormed out of the kitchen and delivered the Popsicle bribe to Rini. She plopped into her vacated chair and glared at the TV for a few minutes before sighing and turning to her other friend.

"Jordan said that you can stay as well, Hotaru. Apparently, he likes you since he didn't say anything about you, other than that you know how to keep quiet. Consider yourself lucky." After a couple of minutes of silence, Morgan started flipping channels again. "By the way, we're having spaghetti and meatballs. After one bite of it, you'll be hooked. Just thought I'd warn you in advance."

Hotaru nodded and went back to the book she had been reading from when Jordan had come in. "So, you guys come up with an answer to the question yet?"

Rini thought for a minute. "13?"

Morgan thought for a second, since obviously Rini had gotten it wrong. "Uh. 14?"

Hotaru sighed. "No. The answer, is..."

"12. The square root of 144 is 12. Geeze. I though you had been studying your times tables Nickie."

Jordan's response came unexpectedly from the kitchen. Hotaru, and Rini stared at Morgan for a few seconds.

"He does that a lot too. And it's Morgan!"

True to his word, Jordan ate up in his room, while the girls had the dinning room to themselves. They talked a little bit about their homework, and tried not to talk about Jordan.

Up in his room, Jordan devoured his dinner to the accompaniment of music blaring from his stereo, hopefully drowning out any noise from downstairs. After eating, the next fifteen minutes were devoted to the few homework assignments he had gotten. After that, he headed back downstairs to clean up after dinner.

Morgan and her friends were back in the family room, finishing their homework together.

Jordan had just finished cleaning the dishes and putting the leftovers away, when his sister came in. "Hey. Guess what?"

Jordan turned to look at her, and glared. "Hmm, let me guess. They're ready to go home and you expect me to take them. Right?"

"Nailed it in one, as always."

He glared at her for a minute. "You better be ready to pay for this later. Tell Rini to go wait outside. I'll take her first, and swing back for Hotaru."

"How did you know her name? Never mind, stupid question. 'I don't know, I just do.' Well, one of these days, you're going to teach me how to do stuff like that."

He smirked and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his jacket on the way out the front door.

He hopped on his motorcycle, and waited for Rini to come outside. "Since I have to take you, I might as well make sure you don't bust your skull open, no matter how much that probability might amuse me."

He tossed her a slightly smaller helmet and waited for her to put it on. After a minute of her just standing there, he growled at her. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a motorcycle? Geeze. Trust me, I know how to drive it and you'll get home in one piece." He waited a second. "Unless you tick me off, by making me wait longer."

She gulped, and hastily put on the helmet. After a bit of bungling, she managed to get on the motorcycle behind Jordan.

"Hang on tight!"

He gave her barely three seconds to do so before taking off. Within half an hour, they were at her house. He waited impatiently for her to get off and give back the helmet. He left as soon as she was off.

Jordan arrived back at the house half an hour later to pick up Hotaru. He tossed her the helmet and waited as she put it on. "You're not afraid of motorcycles too, are you?"

She smiled, as she finished buckling on the helmet. "Not unless you drive like Amara during a Rally."

"Amara. Amara. That name sounds familiar. I wonder if it's that girl I beat at the arcade today. Blond hair, somewhat tall, and dressed in a guy's school uniform?"

Hotaru nodded, as she pulled down the visor and got on behind him. "Sounds like her. What game did you beat her at?"

"That pathetically simple racing game. I only had to do it six times in a row before she broke the game."

Hotaru managed a surprised croaking sound before Jordan took off. When they finally got to her house, he was greeted with a bit of a surprise. Amara had walked out, to see who was bringing Hotaru home. Jordan laughed and blew her a kiss, before taking off and heading back home.

Amara watched him drive off, before looking at Hotaru.

"Who was that?"

"That was Jordan, he's the older brother of a friend I met in school today. They just moved here from America. You've already met him though. He was the guy that beat you at the racing game."

Hotaru waited just long enough to see the look of rage that came over Amara's face, before laughing and dashing for the house.

Amara started running in after Hotaru, shouting at her the whole way. "Start spilling! I want to know everything about that jerk, so I can cream him later."

* * *

"Come on you stupid light. Change already."

Amara glared at the red light from her motorcycle. She'd been there for five minutes already with no traffic anywhere in sight, and it still hadn't changed. She was about to run it, when a sleek, shiny, green motorcycle pulled up next to her. The rider wore a blue jacket over what looked to be a guy's school uniform from her school. She couldn't tell who it was though since the helmet covered his face, but he seemed familiar. She had him nailed in an instant as soon as he talked.

"Race you to the school. And for a bet, how about this. Loser has to wear the school's girl uniform for a month."

She glared at him, revving her engine. "You're on. I can't wait to see how you look in a skirt, you pompous jack-ass."

"My, my, such language. Glad you agreed. GO!"

Jordan took off just as the light turned green. Amara wasn't far behind though. They were neck and neck for a while, but Jordan suddenly veered down an alley and Amara gloated to herself. It was a dead end, and had been for years. If he had lived in town for a while, he'd have known that. She kept on going, knowing that she had the race in the bag.

Within about five minutes, she was pulling up to the school feeling rather full of herself. That is, until she noticed a certain green motorcycle, complete with rider, already sitting in front of the school.

"Where have you been, I've been waiting for you to get here."

"Wha? How? How did you get here before me? That alley was a dead end."

"Yes, it WAS a dead end. As of yesterday, they opened it up to remodel one of the stores."

The smug look on his face was too much. Amara snapped. She jumped off her bike and leaped at Jordan. She had her hands balled into fists ready to beat that smirk off his face. Only problem was, when she got to where he was standing he wasn't there anymore. He was sitting up on the wall that surrounded the school, smirk still in place.

"Temper, temper. If it means so much to you, you don't have to wear the girl's uniform, though I'm sure you'd look much better in a skirt. Then again, I somehow doubt anything could ever make a face like that look better."

Amara had had it with this arrogant little American. Other kids from the school were gathering around, waiting for her to jump up onto the wall and beat the snot out of Jordan. He however, simply fell over the wall backwards, flipping onto his feet. He laughed, before walking towards the buildings. He was gone by the time Amara got to the top of the wall.

"You're dead you little brat, you hear me!"

The students that had gathered around to watch Amara beat on the new kid, quickly found themselves running for their lives. Their laughter at the situation had brought Amara's wrath down upon themselves. After everyone scattered, Amara's anger slowly subsided as she made her way to class. Thoughts of how to make Jordan pay swam through her head the rest of the day.

* * *

"Class. Put everything away except for a calculator, a pencil, and a few pieces of scrap paper if you are so inclined. I hope you are all ready for today's test. Especially you Mr. Mallone. Yes, I am quite aware of how you spent your time in my class yesterday."

"Why Mr. Hijira, whatever could you mean? I assure you, I paid the utmost attention to you yesterday morning. Though I did find that my book had more of a personality to it than your teaching."

Jordan barely kept himself from laughing out loud, though a few students didn't manage quite so well. Mr. Hijira glared at Jordan and the laughing students, until the class finally quieted down again.

"In that case Mr. Mallone, I expect you to score very high on this test. Otherwise, I will see to it that you are removed from this class."

Jordan shrugged and sat back in his seat. He picked up his pencil, and started in on the test as it was passed to him. He quickly made his way through the questions. After about twenty minutes, he stood up and walked towards the teacher's desk.

"A question Mr. Mallone?"

Jordan laughed before putting his test in front of Mr. Hijira.

"Yah. I'm done, can I go now?"

The whole class stopped, as they waited to see how Mr. Hijira would handle this.

"You can go wait in your seat until the bell rings as everyone else who finishes will do."

The class went back to doing their tests, trying to hide their smirks. Jordan shrugged and went back to his seat to finish his book.

The rest of the period passed in silence. When the bell rang, the class sighed. Most of them hadn't even come close to finishing and they were glad it was over. Ami had managed to finish about fifteen minutes after Jordan. She had spent the rest of the time staring at him. Obviously he was a genius, but why did he try so hard to make people dislike him?

Mr. Hijira waved his hands to get the class's attention. "Remember, scores will be posted tomorrow during lunch."

* * *

The day passed pretty quickly. Physics passed by somewhat better than yesterday's class. Jordan kept his mouth shut, though that was mostly due to the fact that he read the whole period. Apparently, Theoretical Quantum Physics no longer interested him.

Just as the day was coming to an end, Jordan became the center of attention once again.

Ami was just coming out of the office when she heard the rumors. She was slightly surprised by the outcome, but she had known what started the rumor was bound to happen sooner or later.

Victor was an foreign student from Germany. He hadn't been at the school for more than three weeks before he had made himself a reputation as a bully. He gathered a group of thugs, and used them to bully all the other foreign kids into either doing him favors, or giving him their lunches or money. Ami knew he would come after Jordan eventually, and she was surprised to find herself feeling smug at the thought of Jordan getting bullied.

That feeling changed to surprise very quickly though as the story progressed, and ended with grudging admiration at the end. Apparently, Vic and his goons caught up with Jordan towards the end of Physical Education, while he was alone in the small gym. No one was clear on what happened inside, except for four facts: Vic and his goons were found unconscious; some of Vic's goons had size eleven sneaker prints on their faces; Jordan didn't have a scratch on him and was found shooting basketballs through the hoops; finally, Jordan was wearing size eleven sneakers at the time.

* * *

Jordan could be found later that afternoon across the street from the arcade. Somehow, he always seemed to beat everybody to the arcade after school. This time though, he was sitting on his motorcycle, seemingly waiting for something or someone. He snorted to himself, as he saw that obnoxious little pink haired brat from last night. He was about to take off, when he saw a funny looking gray cat start to run from his side of the road, directly across it. It appeared to be running straight towards the brat. He was about to shrug it off, but he noticed a fast moving truck coming up the road. At which point, the cat saw it, and froze. Right in the middle of the truck's path.

Immediately, Jordan jumped from his motorcycle, and sprinted across the road. In two steps, he was at the cat. As he was taking his third step, he snatched up the cat and stepped onto the sidewalk. He held the cat up, and looked at it.

"Next time, runt, use a crosswalk. It's safer than running out in front of truck about a hundred times your size."

His almost nice moment didn't last. Rini came running up to him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You saved my kitty. Thank you so..."

He snarled at her, and the look on his face made her stop talking.

"Your cat? Geeze, no wonder it's so scrawny. You probably starve it to death, cause you keep talking to it, instead of feeding it. Here."

With that, he threw the cat right at her, catching the cat, and Rini off guard. That would have been the end of the whole scene, except for two people, and two other cats, who had also seen what had happened.

The blond from yesterday, Mina, seemed to have multiplied. There was another blond standing next to her. She did look kind of familiar. Jordan thought she might be in his Reading class. Both of them were running towards him, and screaming at him. And the two cats on their shoulders seemed to be yelling as well.

Instead of waiting around for them to catch him, he bolted back across the street, between two cars, and leaped onto his motorcycle. Within about fifteen seconds, he was zooming off down the road, leaving all three girls, and their cats behind, screaming their heads off.

* * *

"You're kidding! He didn't have a scratch?" A slightly annoying, and high pitched voice asked. "Is this guy from another planet or something? Vic's a tough fight, even for Lita."

"Serena, would you please quit saying that every other person is from another planet. It's getting to be annoying." A slightly superior voice spoke out. "Could we please get back to the subject of why Luna is so worked up?"

Serena issued a high pitched whine. "You're always yelling at me, Rae. Why can't you ever be nice?"

"Because every time I am nice to you, you ruin my mangas."

"That isn't my fault! Rini keeps sneaking into my room, and getting her dirty little hands on them."

"If you would just be a little more responsible..."

The two quickly entered their own world of arguing, and yelling, ignoring everyone else in the room.

The other three girls in the room, plus two cats, sighed. The girls looked back at the black cat, who seemed to be upset. She had come in a few minutes ago, during the talk about Jordan. They had already covered the scene from in front of the arcade that day, and Lita had just told about what had happened in the gym.

Ami sighed again, trying to ignore Serena and Rae.

"Why do you look so worried Luna? Is something wrong?"

The cat sighed, and nodded her head.

"I think so. Artimus agrees with me, too. We've both been feeling some strange energy patterns around town. Most of them have felt evil, or at least extremely violent. We think something really nasty has appeared. It's just a matter of time before it shows itself to us. We want you ALL to be on your guard."

Her last few words had been loud enough to snap Serena, and Rae out of their argument.

"We would also like you to keep an eye on this Jordan person. He moved into town just about the time some of these energy patterns started showing up. We can't quite put our paws on it, but there is something about him. If he does anything the least bit suspicious, we want you girls to tell us. For now, why don't you girls get started on your homework. I believe that someone has an English test tomorrow."

Her last statement was met with another whine from Serena, as she was reminded of one of her least favorite subjects.

"Come on, Serena, I'll help you out. I have a test in it tomorrow too."

Mina took Serena over to a corner of Rae's room, and helped her start on her studying.

Ami sat with a thoughtful expression on her face, and an empty work sheet in front of her.


	3. Chapter 2 Crisis

A Knight's Work is Never Done

Chapter 2: Crisis

BY: GINSAN

"Highness, I will have the situation resolved within the month. We have tracked down the last of the Soul Devourers to an isolated section of Jupiter. It should not take us long to find it, and neutralize it."

"Very well, Jorowyn. Make sure you all come home to me soon. I would be terribly upset, if you three missed the Royal Ball."

A laugh from the now identified Jorowyn. "We would not miss the Ball for anything your Highness. With your leave."

* * *

"It must have escaped. How could it have gotten out of the grid? It's not supposed to be smart enough to do something like that."

"This one doesn't seem to be following any of the patterns the previous ones have. There's something different about this one."

"By the Queen. Jorowyn, I just remembered that there's a village less than a hour away in that direction. If it gets there before we do..."

* * *

"No. We're too late. It's beaten us here."

"It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known that it would get away. None of the others have ever escaped the trap the way it did."

Jorowyn spoke again. This time, his voice sounded cracked and strained. Almost like he was on the verge of snapping. "But I should have planned for it anyway. It's all my fault. All my fault. All these innocent people. It's all my fault."

A third voice joins the other two. This one is slightly harsh sounding. Female, but with a masculine overtone. "Snap out of it. We have to stop this thing, before any more people fall victim to it. You couldn't have possibly known that it would get this far."

"Come on Jorowyn. We have to go, now. The Queen will be expecting us back for the ball tomorrow."

* * *

Jorowyn's voice speaks out again. "Damn you beast. I will kill you if it's the last thing I do. No more people will fall victim to you and your kind. I swear it."

A few shouts, and an ear-splitting scream ensues. After a few seconds of silence, the third voice speaks out.

"Finally. How could that thing be so strong? For a second there, I thought it was immune to our attacks."

"I don't know. Lets get its Soul Gem, and get back to the Queen. I have a feeling that something bad is happening in our absence. The sooner we get back, and see that nothing is wrong, the better I will feel."

* * *

"What's happened? Who could have done this? Where, where is everybody? The palace is in shambles."

"I don't know, Jorowyn. We should look around."

After a few seconds pass, another scream.

* * *

Jordan woke with a start. It took him a few seconds before he realized what had woken him up. He reached over and turned the alarm off. Not that it mattered that the alarm had woken him up. He would have woken in a few seconds anyway.

He got up, and started getting ready for school. As he did, he thought back to the dream.

It was always the same. Three voices talking about something that he had no clue about, and there were never any images to go with them. Everything was a dull gray fog. Then there was that one, oddly familiar name, which was also about the only thing he could ever remember clearly. The name, and the phrase Soul Devourer. He almost always woke up with a start thanks to that dream. He'd been having the dream since the day they had moved here.

He finished getting dressed, and walked out of his room. He stopped in front of the door at the top of the stairs. It was covered with a huge Vegeta poster.

He banged on the door a couple of times. "Wake up Nickie. Time for school. I leave in thirty minutes, with or without you."

A muffled voice from the other side replied. "It's Morgan, quit calling me Nickie."

He banged once more before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. Due to the mood he woke up with, it was nothing more than orange juice and buttered toast. He finished his off quickly, then headed out into the garage. He checked his motorcycle over, and made a few adjustments while he waited for Morgan to get ready. She showed up, exactly thirty minutes from when he banged on her door, a piece of toast stuck in her mouth. She stuffed a couple of books into her backpack, then quickly finished off the toast.

"Hop on. You want me to drop you off at school or near Hotaru's house again?"

"Actually, Rini's place, please?"

He stared at her for a minute, before grabbing his helmet and standing up. He tossed a second, smaller one to her, and sighed.

"I hate you. I really, really do." He paused to put his helmet on. "I'll probably be home late tonight. Dad wants to see me after school. Dinner is whatever you can find in the fridge. And no friends over for dinner. No friends over, period. You can go over to someone's house, but don't bring any more strays home."

Morgan put her helmet on, barely managing to get her head into it, for all her hair. She mumbled the whole time.

They were at Rini's house within a few minutes. Jordan stayed on the bike, and waited as Morgan got off. He glared down at Rini, who was waiting for Morgan. She slowly backed away from the bike.

"Remember what I said."

He then sped off and turned the corner, making sure traffic was clear. Morgan sighed and turned to Rini. "Well, now that Mr. Sunshine is gone, do we have time to play that video game you were telling me about?"

* * *

Classes for the day went smoothly until lunch time. All except for a few weird looks from Mr. Hijira during Math class. Jordan met them all with that all-knowing smirk of his. Lunch time finally revealed the reason behind Mr. Hijira's looks.

Mr. Hijira had posted the scores from the previous day's tests. Everyone quickly read the scores, and then looked over at Ami's. Everybody liked to see how they had done compared to her. What they saw instead, was that Jordan had scored a 105 to Ami's 104. They all just stood staring, trying to make sense of it.

It was upon this scene, that Ami and a few of her friends stumbled on their way to lunch.

"I wonder why there are so many people out here. They can't all be looking at their scores. Just how badly did you beat everybody this time Ami?"

Ami laughed at her friend's comment. "I'm not sure, Lita, let's find out."

After struggling against the crowd, the group managed to get to the score board. They just stood there for a minute, while they looked at the grades.

"Umm, Ami. I don't mean to be critical of you or anything, but shouldn't you have the highest score?"

Ami stood and blinked for a few seconds. She just couldn't believe that Jordan, the kid who had paid no attention whatsoever in class, had scored higher than she had. If she was any other person, she probably would have cried.

Instead, she did what only Ami would do. "Guess I just didn't study hard enough. I'll have to study twice as hard for the next test."

Her friends sighed, having expected just such a response. Though it also meant more studying for them.

The rest of the class and students who had been standing around, moaned out loud. Classes were going to be even harder now.

For the rest of the day, Jordan seemed to have a permanent smirk on his face. After what had happened to Victor and his goons the day before, no one really wanted to make an issue of it.

* * *

"I can't believe he had me sit through that board meeting. It's not like I'm ever going to take his place in the company. For all I care, he and his bosses can shove the job up their stuffy, well-to-do assess. At least I managed to get out of there early. Another ten minutes and I probably would have jumped out of the window just to relieve the boredom."

All of this was muttered by a slightly ticked off Jordan, as he roller bladed through some alleys near the new house. He tried to blade at least two hours a day as a good way to improve his balance, and the tricks he liked helped with his flexibility. All of which meant better performances at competition. "I'd be better off working for Mom. At least then, I'd be able to do what I wanted, instead of being like Dad. Stuck behind a desk all day, signing paper after paper, and kissing ass on the phone to seal business deals. With Mom, all I have to worry about is a model breaking a leg or, heaven forbid, a finger nail."

He did a few jumps over some empty trash cans, and even jumped off the walls a few times. All of this, including the internal dialog about how much he hated his father, came to an abrupt stop as he heard something like a scream coming from nearby. A second later, the scream came again, and now he knew why he had stopped the first time. Someone was calling his name, and that someone sounded a lot like his little sister.

"Morgan!"

He was off, zooming between junk and trash in the alleys. He came out onto the intersection of several roads. There wasn't any traffic, which was good, since he came shooting out of the alley like a rocket. He stopped in the middle of one of the roads, and looked for his sister. It didn't take him long to see why Morgan was screaming and why she was running for her life.

She was being chased by a huge monster. The thing was about eight feet tall, and built like a tree trunk. Literally. It was dark brown from head to foot, and its skin looked like bark. It also had what looked like a set of bull's horns growing out of its head. It had two massive hands, tipped by three nasty claws. Both were bigger that Jordan's head. If it hadn't been for the way his sister was screaming, he would have thought it was a joke.

As it was, he was almost instantly in motion, moving towards it. "Get away from my sister, you fucking reject from the ZOO."

Jordan's roller blades met the monster's head, as he jumped-kicked it. He caught it by surprise, and the impact sent it flying into the ground about six feet away. It landed in a heap, and didn't move. As soon as his blades touched the ground, Jordan spun and raced over to his sister.

"Hey, Morgan, you okay? Come on, speak to me."

He was kneeling next to where she was trying to hide behind a tree. She stared at him blankly for a second, before her face contorted further in fear and she started screaming. That, and the sudden shadow covering the two of them, was about all the warning Jordan got.

As he spun around to try and protect Morgan, one of those huge claw-tipped hands grabbed him. It lifted him up to its face, and smiled. The breath from the thing nearly knocked him out. It was like some thing had crawled inside of its mouth, and slowly started to decompose.

This hardly mattered though, as the thing lifted him up high over its head. Without any warning, it slammed him down as hard as it could into the road. There was a momentary flash of blue light just before Jordan struck the ground. After he hit, the thing let go, revealing a huge crater with a badly bleeding and seriously hurt Jordan lying at the bottom of it.

The thing then turned back to Morgan, who had no where to go now. It started reaching towards her. Its hand was less than a foot away from her head.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

The claw suddenly froze solid, and snapped off at the wrist. The monster screamed in pain and glanced around for the source of it.

"Up here, monster. I don't know who, or what you are, but I won't let you hurt anyone else."

The monster had just enough time to look up at the top of a nearby building, as a young girl in a weird looking sailor suit dropped from the roof and landed on the sidewalk. Her outfit had a base color of white. The skirt, the choker around her neck, her collar, and the knee-high boots, as well as the big ribbon on the front were a deep blue color. Her short, blue colored hair waved slightly in the wind, as she straightened up from the crouch she had landed in.

She stared the monster down, and got into a defensive pose. "I am the Sailor Soldier guided by the planet Mercury, Sailor Mercury! I can not allow you to harm anyone else."

The monster growled at her, and hunkered down for a charge attack. It hadn't taken two steps though before...

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Sailor Mercury twirled around and a blast of multi-colored water launched at the monster. It barely managed to avoid the attack, and without any warning, the monster suddenly roared. Almost instantly, it vanished in a flash of black and red light.

Like it was a signal, Morgan snapped out of her shock and ran towards Jordan. She knealed down next to him, afraid to touch him.

"Jordan? Please be okay, Jordan. I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. I was walking home and then it just came out of nowhere and..."

The whole statement was broken by sobs, and by the end of it, she was nearly hysterical with tears. She bent over Jordan, not knowing what to do. The girl dressed in the weird outfit spoke something into a little computer in her hand, and then put it away. She knelt down next to Morgan, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, I've called for help. An ambulance will be here in a few minutes."

She shifted position, and bent closer to Jordan, checking on how badly he was hurt. It looked pretty bad. The most obvious injuries were a broken arm, and a busted head. There were also numerous cuts and bruises as well. While she was examining him, she also noticed the crater he was laying in. It was perfectly round, and from the look of it, about three feet deep, by about seven feet wide.

Looking at it, brought back the flash of light that she had seen from the roof just before Jordan had hit. Her thoughts were interrupted however, as Jordan's eyes flickered open for a second, and focused on her. A slight look of surprise crossed his face, just before he passed out again. Before she could figure it out, the sound of an ambulance approaching interrupted. She glanced over at Morgan, who was still crying, but seemed to have calmed down a little bit.

"I have to go now, but I'll be keeping an eye on you, to make sure that monster doesn't try to get you again."

With that, she ran off and disappeared down one of the side alleys.

* * *

The ambulance arrived within a few minutes of Mercury's departure. The EMT's really didn't need to have the injured person pointed out to them. The crater was enough of an indicator. However, they were baffled that Jordan was still alive, from the size of the crater, and the fact that he was losing so much blood.

* * *

Jordan was at the hospital and in the ER within fifteen minutes. The Doctors worked on him for close to an hour, before they came out and had him moved to Intensive Care. Within twenty minutes of the move, his mother arrived. Morgan was with her. She had also been checked out, but other than a few scrapes, she appeared to be fine. Jordan was another story. Yes, he did have a busted head, which now had fifteen stitches, and a broken left arm, which now had a big white cast on it. But that wasn't all. His chart revealed that he had three broken ribs, and a fractured collar bone. All that, plus he was in a healing coma that the doctors said he would probably come out of within a week or two.

During the next week, while his mother and Morgan waited for Jordan to come out of the coma, Morgan spent as much time as she could there, while their Mom came everyday after work and stayed for a bit before taking Morgan home. Their dad stopped by once or twice, though his visits never lasted longer than ten minutes. Any time that Morgan was there visiting, one of her friends seemed to be with her. More often than not it was Hotaru, since any time Rini was in the room, Jordan's face scrunched up into a scowl. The Doctors decided that she was a negative influence on his recovery. At least once a day, Ami or one of her friends would also visit, though they never really came into the room. They usually stayed out in the hall.

* * *

Eight days after being rushed to the hospital, Jordan came out of the coma. He was slightly disoriented at first, since the room was dark, and he couldn't see anything. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the dark and he noticed that someone was sitting in a chair across the room, near the door. He couldn't really tell who it was though.

"Who. Who's there?"

His question didn't seem to startle the person because they calmly got up from the chair. The person stepped outside the door, and flagged down a nurse. After a few minutes, she came back in. Yes, it was a she. He could see the outline of her clothes in the doorway, as well as her long hair, which seemed to have a bit of a green tinge to it.

"Well Mr. Mallone. You gave us quite a scare there for a bit. People here in Tokyo don't usually tackle monsters on their own. You're lucky to be alive. I've just had the nurse call your Mother. She and your sister have been very worried about you."

Jordan stayed quiet for a minute. He noticed, but didn't really care, that she hadn't mentioned his father. He didn't expect that his son being in critical condition in a hospital would tear him away from work.

"How long have I been here? And who are you?"

The person was silent for a minute, as she thought. "Eight days. You were in critical condition for your first two days, and then they moved you to a private room. You've been in a coma since you got here. You also have a broken left arm, fifteen stitches in the back of your head, a fractured collar bone, and three broken ribs. The one on the right almost punctured your lung. You should be grateful. As for your second question, you can call me Trista. Your sister's friend Hotaru asked me to watch over you."

Jordan laughed at that, though it sounded strained and slightly pained. There was something about this Trista person, and the way she spoke, that gave him the creeps. And there was the fact that breathing hurt like Hell.

"And why would Hotaru ask someone to watch over a jerk in a coma?"

Trista seemed to smile at this. "Believe it or not, she likes you. Also, she said that I would find you interesting. And, now that I've met you, I can agree on that. I'll let you rest now. Your Mother and sister should be here first thing in the morning. Push the red button next to the bed, if you need anything from the nurse."

With that, she left and closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, Jordan fell asleep. When he woke up, he felt grateful. For once, he hadn't had that bizarre dream. Well, that and he had a room full of visitors. The buzz from the pain killers didn't hurt either.

His sister sat in a chair next to his bed, sound asleep. Hotaru sat in a chair next to her, and waved at him a little when she noticed that he was awake. His Mom sat in the chair by the door, and was just starting to notice that he was awake. On the other side of his bed, a Doctor was reading the monitors hooked up to his body.

The Doctor finished writing on a chart in his hands before turning to Jordan. "A good morning to you, Mr. Mallone. I understand from the nurse, that you came to sometime last night. Now that you're awake, I have a few routine questions I need to ask you. It's standard for patients with your type of head trauma."

The Doctor asked a few questions, then turned to Jordan's Mother as she approached the bed. "He seems to be fine. No amnesia, and no memory loss. I'd still be careful though. He still has a slight concussion. I'll be back in an hour. I have to make my rounds."

With that, the Doctor left, and Jordan's Mother rushed up to him. She carefully gave him a hug, and tried not to cry. Jordan tried to tell her calmly that he was okay, and not to make a fuss. Every time she looked at him in the bed though, the tears started up again. After a few minutes, Morgan woke up, and looked around groggily. Hotaru poked her in the ribs, and pointed at Jordan, who smiled at her slightly. She got up from the chair, and came up to him, crying already.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention when I was walking home, and that thing came out of nowhere. I started running, trying to get away from it, but it followed me. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened to me. But you got hurt, and it's all my fault!"

Jordan waited for her to cry herself out, then lifted her head up to look at him. He smiled slightly and sat up a bit, trying to look normal. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have told you to go home alone. I should have had you stay over at Rini's or Hotaru's. I'm sure if you were with someone, you would have been OK. It's my fault. I'll be just fine though, don't you worry about it."

The last little bit of strength seemed to leave Jordan, and he fell back into the bed.

About this time, the Doctor returned and saw Jordan's condition. "I think it's time to let Jordan rest. He's still in pretty bad shape, and I would like him to get as much sleep as possible. You can all come back tomorrow."

He stepped back out of the room, and spoke with a nurse about something, while Jordan's visitors left.

Hotaru was about to walk out after Morgan, when Jordan called her back. "Hotaru, I need to ask you something."

After pausing for a second, she turned around and came back to stand next to Jordan.

He looked up at her for a moment before talking. "Why did you ask that Trista person to come visit me?"

Hotaru thought before replying. "She's a friend, and she's also interested in unusual occurrences. Plus, she asked me about you the other day after Amara and Michelle mentioned you. She seems really interested in you for some reason."

Jordan was silent as he absorbed what she said. "Thank you. And one more thing. Tell Ami thanks for saving me and Morgan."

With that, Jordan fell asleep, leaving a startled Hotaru staring at him. She stood there a few minutes, before leaving the room, and joining Morgan.


	4. Chapter 3 Awakening

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 3: Awakening

BY: GINSAN

"Are you sure he said that Hotaru?" The familiar voice of Ami asked. "You weren't hearing things?"

Hotaru shook her head. "No. I heard him clear enough. He knows, somehow. Another funny thing. Trista had a smug look on her face when I stopped by. And when I asked about last night, all she said was that I was right. She knows something, but she won't say what."

Ami thought as she absently nibbled on a pencil. She had been doing some homework when Hotaru had come over. The message that she gave her had startled her and left her feeling really confused. To the point where she could no longer do her work. How could Jordan know that she was the one that had saved him?

As she thought about it, she remembered the look that he had given her back at the scene. That momentary look that she had at first mistaken for startlement, had it been bewilderment instead? He had recognized her there. But how?

"... the others. What do you think?"

Ami snapped out of her reverie, and looked at Hotaru for a second. "Pardon? Oh, yes. I think it might be a good idea to talk to the others." She looked at her watch. "And, it is almost time for our meeting today anyway. Come on, I don't think the girls will mind if you sit in."

The two of them got up, and Ami put her homework away. Within a few minutes, they were out the door, and on their way to the Cherry Hill Temple.

* * *

The temple stood on a hill at the intersection of several roads. It was a popular tourist attraction, and made a killing in the Charms business. Selling everything from good luck charms, to love charms for bashful girls. The temple currently had three retainers. An elderly old man who owned and ran the place, his granddaughter who did most of the work, and a hanger on who kept the place clean.

Currently, the raven haired granddaughter was sweeping the courtyard up at the top of the steps to the temple. She stopped sweeping and waved, as she saw Ami and Hotaru approach.

"Hello Ami. Hey Hotaru."

"Hello Rae. Are any of the others here yet?"

The dark haired girl thought for a moment. "I think we're just waiting on Mina and Artimus. They should be here in a few minutes though. Everyone else is in my room. I'm going to wait out here for them, so go on in."

She went back to her work, as Ami and Hotaru headed for Rae's room. When they got there, they were greeted by Lita and Serena arguing. Apparently, Serena was trying to get a cookie but Lita wouldn't let her have one till everyone showed up.

"Hi Lita, Hi Serena. And hello to you too Luna."

Ami smiled down at the black cat, who was pointedly ignoring Serena's behavior. The cat sighed, and looked up at Ami, and Hotaru. "It was a good day. It'll be better when Mina gets here." She sighed again. "So Hotaru, why are you here? You don't usually come."

Hotaru smiled weakly. "I think it's best if I wait till Mina shows up. It's about Jordan."

Luna was silent for a minute. Lita and Serena stopped their little argument as soon as Hotaru mention Jordan. No one in the room really liked him, but after what had happened to him the other day, they did feel a little sorry for the guy.

Hotaru was about to say something else, but she was interrupted by the arrival of Mina and Artimus, followed by Rae. It took a few minutes for everyone to settle down, and to get the plate of cookies away from Serena before she ate all of them. Once everyone was finally settled, and Serena had eaten the rest of the cookies, they all turned to Hotaru to see what she had to say.

"First off, everyone knows that Jordan and his sister were attacked by some new type of Youma." Everyone nodded at this, so she continued. "He was hurt pretty badly, trying to protect his sister from it. He's been in a coma for a little over a week. He came out of it last night, while Trista was on watch. She had a brief conversation with him, but she won't divulge any details. This morning, I went with Morgan to visit him at the hospital. Jordan seemed to be OK, though he was pretty tired. We stayed for a bit, before the Doctor sent us away so he could get some sleep. As we were leaving, he called me back. He asked a couple of questions, one of which, was why Trista was so interested in him. After that, he gave me a message to give to Ami, which she thinks I should tell everyone else." She paused a moment, to make sure everyone was listening. "He said to thank her, for saving him and Morgan."

This last comment was met with surprised looks and exclamations from the other girls and the two cats.

Luna was the first to recover. She looked at Ami and then to Hotaru as she spoke. "Are you absolutely sure about this? He knows that Ami is Sailor Mercury? What about the rest of the girls? Does he know about the rest of you?"

Hotaru shook her head. "No. From the way he said it, I don't think he knows about the rest of us, just Ami." She paused for a moment, as she thought. "One more thing. When I mentioned this part to Trista, she just smiled at me and told me to go on over to Ami's. She knows something, but she won't spill. It might be a good thing, but I'm not sure."

The room was silent again, as everyone thought about this new situation. Whether or not this was good news, didn't matter. Someone knew their secret, and from the way he had treated most of them, they couldn't be sure if he would keep it.

Artimus looked over at Luna before speaking. "I don't think we have any choice here. Some of us are going to have to go talk to Jordan and see just how much he knows. With luck, it was all just delirium caused by the pain killers, and he really doesn't know a thing."

Silence again, as the girls looked at each other.

Finally, Ami spoke up. "I'll go. Because of Mom, I can get in after visiting hours, and I won't be questioned walking around. I also think that Hotaru should come with me, since Jordan seems to like her. I think I might be able to sneak you in Luna."

Luna thought it over before nodding her head. "Alright. Let's do it. Tonight. It's the weekend, so hopefully there will be a lot of people in and out of the hospital to keep the nurses from being nosy."

They finalized their plans for later then got on to other things. Around nine o'clock, Ami and Hotaru got ready to leave and they went over their plans for a few more minutes.

Just as they were about to walk out, Ami turned to Serena. "I'll bring Luna home after we finish. Leave your window open so she can sneak in. Wish us luck."

With that, the three left for the hospital.

* * *

The three arrived at the Hospital just as the nurses were managing to get the last of the day's visitors out. Ami and Hotaru slipped in, Luna hidden in Hotaru's large back-pack. They made their way up to Jordan's room, evading the few nurses they saw. Looking around quickly to make sure it was clear, they opened the door, and slipped into Jordan's room.

"I could have sworn that visiting hours were over. So why are you two sneaking into my room so late at night,?"

Jordan's question caught Hotaru and Ami off-guard for a moment. They didn't think he'd be awake. He laughed at the startled expressions on their faces as they stood in the open doorway.

"Are you two going to come in, or are you going to stand there till the nurse catches you?"

This last question finally jolted the two into action, and they quickly came in and closed the door. Hotaru walked over and sat in the seat she had been in earlier in the day, while Ami sat in the one that Morgan had occupied earlier.

After the two had sat there for a few minutes in silence, not knowing what to say, Jordan decided to get them going. "So? Are you going to tell me why you two are here so late? I appreciate the visit, but I really could use some sleep."

Ami smiled nervously at this, while Hotaru snickered softly. She prodded Ami in the side, to get her going.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something. Why did you tell Hotaru to thank me?"

Jordan rolled his eyes. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because you saved my life? Not to mention my sister's. Is there something wrong with that, or would you rather I give the corny old bit about having things under control until you butted in?"

Ami was silent for a minute, as she thought that one over. "Sorry. It's just that, how do you know that it was me that saved you?"

Jordan laughed, and pointed at her hair with his right arm. "You're the only person I've seen in Tokyo with that hair. And somehow, I don't think anyone else in the world has it."

Ami went silent again. While she thought his comment over, Jordan laid back and closed his eyes. She hesitated a moment as she came to a conclusion, but wasn't sure if he was still awake.

"I'm awake. Though I'm starting to wish I wasn't." Jordan's statement was delivered with a little sting to it, reminding them that they were keeping him awake.

"There is no possible way that you could have recognized me."

Jordan laughed again, and opened his eyes to look at her. "Well I did, so it is possible. Any other questions?"

Jordan looked at both of them, and noticed Hotaru looking at something on a table next to his bed.

"Can I see that?" She looked back at him for a second, as she pointed at whatever it was she was looking at.

He followed her gaze, and rolled his eyes when he saw what it was. "Sure, you can look at it if you want to. I found it the day we moved here. I thought it might be a good luck charm. But after what happened, I'm not so sure. I was wearing it when that thing attacked. And, I don't think ending up in a hospital counts as good luck."

The item in question, was a small crystal pendant on a silver rope-chain. The crystal was about the size of a bottle cap. It was a milky, almost silvery white color. It was smooth and dome shaped, being flat on the bottom. It shone faintly in the light of the room. Hotaru reached over, and picked it up. After looking at it for a minute, she gave it to Ami to look at, and whispered something to her.

She nodded, and pulled out her little mini-computer. Jordan watched them, as Ami examined it with her computer.

He was about to tell them to put it back, when Ami spoke out. "Oh my. Luna, I think you should look at this."

Jordan was puzzled for a moment, especially when a small, black cat came out of Hotaru's back-pack and then jumped up into Ami's lap. He was even more surprised, when the cat looked at the mini-computer, at the stone, at Jordan, and then to Ami. And then it spoke.

"Ami, I need to talk to Artimus and Trista right away. They have to see this." She turned to look at Jordan again. "Please don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

Jordan laughed at this, as Luna grabbed Ami's computer in her mouth, and went over to a corner away from Jordan, Ami, and Hotaru.

Jordan looked at Ami, and Hotaru, all pretense of playing nice, gone. "Will one of you explain to me what the Hell is going on? Why do you dress up as a Superhero, what the Hell is the cat talking about over there, and most importantly, how can a damned cat talk in the first place?!"

Jordan was nearly frantic now, and was even more creped out than when he had met Trista the night before. He was looking from Ami, to Hotaru, to the cat, then back again, waiting for an answer. When one wasn't coming, he started laughing.

"I'm going nuts, that's the only explanation. I've finally cracked. Ami's not a Superhero. Heck, that whole monster thing's all in my head anyway. And the cat's not talking. Real cats don't talk. It's all a bad dream, just like the one I've been having. Soon, I'll wake up, and be back in my bed, like nothing happened."

Jordan descended into gibberish, while Ami and Hotaru looked at each other, afraid that the commotion would draw attention to the room, and bring a nurse in to see what was going on. He kept going on and on, saying something about bizarre dreams, and hallucinations.

Luna came back over after a few minutes and stabbed Jordan with a claw, getting his attention. He yelled, and Ami was certain that a nurse would show up any minute to see what was going on.

Jordan glared at the cat. "Do it again cat, and we'll see how you like being stabbed."

Luna sighed, and looked him in the eyes. "We don't have time for this. Listen to me. All three of you. Jordan, everything I'm about to tell you is true, and none of it can leave this room." After receiving nothing more than a continued glare and a few mutters under his breath, she resumed. "Ami is a kind of Superhero, called a Sailor Scout. Sailor Mercury to be exact. Hotaru is one too, though she is called Sailor Saturn. Most of Ami's other friends are Sailor Scouts as well. They have saved this planet many times.

"You were attacked by a monster last week. You are laying in a hospital bed, recovering from injuries you received while trying to fight it on your own. We haven't know what that monster was until just now, when I finally got Trista to tell me. They're called Soul Devourers."

Luna kept talking, but Ami noticed the look of recognition that quickly passed over Jordan's face. It was there and gone so fast, that she thought that she might have imagined it.

"They seem to like stealing the Soul Gems of people, and absorbing them. So far, only a few people have fallen victim. Victims usually seem okay at first, but they loose all focus on life and go about with no interest in anything anymore. Your sister would have been one of them, but you distracted it long enough for Sailor Mercury to arrive and chase it off."

Jordan stared at Luna, as she paused. His glare was gone, but he now had a slightly puzzled look on his face. He seemed like was going to say something, but at the last second remained quiet.

Luna continued. "Ami's computer scanned your crystal. I have to say, I don't like what it came up with. It's giving off energy patters very similar to the few Soul Devourers we've been able to scan. I personally would like to destroy it, but Trista said not to. All she will tell me, is that I should let you keep it, and not to worry. Personally, that doesn't reassure me. But since Trista is rarely wrong, I'll do what she said. But that still doesn't mean that I trust you."

Jordan startled the three, as he started laughing. "This is just great. A talking cat saying that it doesn't trust me. I must have hurt my head worse than the Doctor said. Tell you what cat. I won't trust you, and you can go on not trusting me. Now, if you three are quite done, I need to get some sleep. And if you come back cat, I'll make sure the nurse calls pest control. You three have five minutes to leave, before I call the nurse."

Jordan laid back in the bed, after snatching the pendant back from Ami. He started to count slowly. The three got up, and left quickly, especially when Jordan started reaching for the call button.

They exited the room, and walked towards the elevator. There, they stopped as they waited for it to arrive. They now had a bit more information, but none of them were happy about the way things had turned out. One thing they were sure of though, was that the accident hadn't affected Jordan much, if at all. They hoped that for now, he'd keep his mouth shut, but there was no way to tell for sure.

The three got on the elevator, Hotaru sticking Luna back into her bag. They left the hospital as quickly as they could.

* * *

Ami dropped Hotaru off at home, before making her way to Serena's house to drop off Luna. As they walked, Luna filled Ami in, as much as she could. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send chills down Ami's spine.

Apparently, Soul Devourers had actually been around back during the Silver Millennium. Though back then, they hadn't been quite as powerful as these ones seemed to be. Also, as far as Trista could tell them, there had never been a successful way of restoring someone's Soul Gem. They were doomed to trudge through life forever without any more emotions, or enthusiasm. Literally, a living zombie. It was the last part, that really got to Ami.

* * *

Jordan lay back in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. After the girls, and the cat had left, he found that he couldn't go to sleep. Now that he knew there was some kind of meaning to his dream, he didn't want to go back to it. He knew he should have tried to get a bit more information from the cat, but now, all he could think about was that he wasn't going crazy because of those dreams. And, that his sister had almost fallen victim to one of those things.

He had to get better and get out of this place so he could make sure she was alright. If something happened to her, he'd never be able to forgive himself. Especially since he knew that it would just be him, and Mom who would really miss her. Dad certainly wouldn't. One less mouth to feed after all.

After a few minutes ruminating in his thoughts, he looked over at the strange pendant he had found. He picked it up and held it close for a better look. He could have had a decent visit tonight, but this thing had once again caused problems. He didn't know what the big fuss was about it. To him, it looked just like a crystal. Albeit, a cut and polished one. One that glowed slightly in the dark. But still nothing more than a crystal.

"What the?"

As he continued looking at it, he noticed that it was indeed glowing in the dark. Not by much, but enough to notice. Something it definitely hadn't done before. The longer he looked at it, the brighter it got. After a few minutes, it was about as bright as a weak flashlight. As he looked at it a little more closely, he noticed that the glow wasn't actually from the crystal, but from something inside of it.

It looked almost like a letter, but the longer he looked at it, the more he thought of it as a symbol. It was too elaborate for a letter. It looked like two U's stuck together, base to base. The tips of the U's had little arrow heads. Running down the middle of the U's, was a small line that started about halfway on the top U, and stopped halfway on the bottom U. At the top, and bottom of the little line, were little circles.

He didn't know what it might mean if it was a symbol, but something about it was familiar. Like he'd seen it in a book a long time ago. He shook his head to clear it, disregarding the thought as nonsense. If he had read about it in a book, he would have remembered it.

"This is ridiculous. It's just a stupid crystal, probably not even real, with that light inside."

He was about to toss it onto the small table next to the bed, when it flashed. A bright, yellow-green color that nearly blinded him.

* * *

He blinked his eyes to clear them, but the bright light didn't go away. Slowly though, it dimmed a bit and he could see normally again. What he saw, he didn't like.

He was standing in the middle of a very large room. There were people dressed up in strange clothing everywhere. Directly in front of him was a large throne, seemingly made of pure silver.

Upon the throne sat a woman, somewhere in her mid twenties, maybe early thirties. As soon as the thought crossed his mind though, he knew it was wrong. She was closer to a hundred, not thirty. She was dressed in an elaborate, and yet simple, dress of white. It billowed around her like clouds. Her hair was a bright silver color. It was done up in so that it came out of two small 'buns' on the sides of her head, and flowed down to drape across the back of the throne. She had a gentle face, and gave off an aura of great kindness.

She seemed familiar, but before he could rack his mind for an answer why, the Lady upon the throne began speaking. What he started to hear, chilled him to the bones. It was his dream. Only this time, there were pictures, and he knew now, more than ever before, that they were memories, not a dream. And this time, it looked like it would be the whole thing, not just the Cliffnotes.

"Jorowyn. I am so happy that you could finally join us. I know I have kept you busy as of late, but it is good that you could come."

Jordan found himself bowing slightly to the Queen, for that was exactly what she was, a Queen. Queen of what, he couldn't remember just yet, but he knew that she ruled a vast kingdom. A kingdom that spanned the entire solar system. After the bow, he found himself replying to the Queen, yet it wasn't a conscious response, more like he was along as an observer and someone else was in control.

"It would hardly do you justice, if I did not come at your request. You know I am your most loyal servant. Pray tell, what is it that has caused you to call me off my current assignment? Does it concern what is taking place upon the Earth?"

The Queen smiled, as she nodded her head. "Indeed. The events on Earth do concern me. But I am afraid that until they grow to threaten the other planets, there is naught I can do. I would also speak with you, to find out the current status of your mission. Yours is very important at a critical time such as this. We cannot afford to have the Kingdom weakened from within, while we are besieged by enemies from without."

Jordan felt himself smile, as his body replied to the Queen. "Highness, I will have the situation resolved within the month. We have tracked down the last of the Soul Devourers to an isolated section of Jupiter. It should not take us long to find it, and neutralize it."

The Queen frowned slightly, but nodded. "Very well Jorowyn. Make sure you all come home to me soon. I would be terribly upset, if you three missed the Royal Ball."

At this, Jordan noticed that there were two more people standing beside him, but neither one offered much in the way of conversation. They stood quietly, in what he took to be their formal wear, since something in his head said that the one to his right rarely wore such an elaborate outfit.

As he thought that over, he felt himself laugh. "We would not miss the Ball for anything your Highness. With your leave."

The Queen nodded her permission, as the three bowed again, and turned to leave the room. Before they left though, the Queen had something more to say. "Please be careful out there. And return to us quickly. Good hunting."

The three left, exiting the palace. They approached what looked like a rather large archway, carved with the symbol for the planet Jupiter at the top. Near by were several similar archways, all of them bearing the various symbols for the planets. Between the one that stood for Mars, and the one for Jupiter, was a pile of stone ruble. Obviously, it had at one time been an arch like the others, but for some reason had been destroyed. At the top of the pile, was the stone with it's symbol upon it. A symbol that once again chilled Jordan. It was the same symbol that he had seen inside the crystal. And the stone itself was cracked in a half dozen places.

They stood a few moments, before the Jupiter archway's symbol began to glow. A shimmering light filled the gap inside the archway, and eventually settled into a picture of a large city. As soon as it stabilized, the three stepped through. Almost immediately, the image dissolved and the three were gone.

* * *

He blinked his eyes again and found himself back in his hospital bed, holding the amulet which was no longer glowing. He couldn't even see the little symbol in it anymore. He held it a moment more, before tossing it onto the table and staring at it. He stared for a while, before shaking his head and looking away.

"I think I am going nuts. There's no way that just happened."

But even as he said it to himself out loud, he knew that it had indeed happened. At least the events that he had seen. He knew that they were memories of somebody, but who he didn't know, though there was a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that he did. He just didn't want to believe it.

The longer he thought on it, the more he started to feel sleepy, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Almost instantly, he found himself back inside of Jorowyn. He recognized the surroundings almost immediately, though he had never actually seen them. He realized that he must be continuing the dream from a little after where it had stopped before.

He was running through a forest of trees, with his two companions from before running behind him. Apparently, they had changed out of their formal wear. They were now in outfits that were very similar to what he had seen Ami wearing when she had rescued him a few days ago. He couldn't see what he was wearing, but he was sure that he too had changed clothing, since his movements felt heavy and restricted now. Most likely, he was wearing some type of armor.

"Where is it?" Jorowyn's voice rang out through the trees, as the three came to a stop in a small clearing. "I can barely find it's tracks. It has to be around here somewhere."

The three spread out, looking through the small trees and bushes that surrounded the clearing. They spent several minutes searching, but to no avail.

Finally, the three came back to the middle of the clearing.

The one with aqua colored hair spoke first. "It must have escaped. How could it have gotten out of the grid? It's not supposed to be smart enough to do something like that."

"I agree Neptune. This one doesn't seem to be following any of the patterns the previous ones have. There's something different about it." Jorowyn's voice was full of frustration as he spoke. He has obviously not been having a very good day and from what Jordan can hear of his thoughts, it's been like that for weeks, possibly years.

Neptune smiled, but before she could say something to try and cheer Jorowyn up, a horrible thought occurred to her. A look of horror crossed her face, as she gasped. "By the Queen. Jorowyn, I just remembered that there's a village less than a hour away in that direction. If it gets to it before we do..."

Nothing more was said, as the three took off in the direction of the village.

Almost on hour of hard running found the three standing at the gates of the decimated village. Several people were walking around the remains of buildings and houses, their Soul Gems obviously missing as they wondered aimlessly. Here and there, a few people were laying on the ground, some seemingly awake but inert. However, quite a few had several wicked looking needles sticking out of their bodies.

"No. We're too late. It's beaten us here." Jorowyn's voice sounded strained, and a few thoughts that Jordan picked up told him that the guy was feeling like he was completely to blame for it. Most of the people were obviously dead. The positions of their bodies too excruciatingly painful to even be able to look comfortable.

After a few minutes of looking over the carnage, Jorowyn finally entered the village. Jordan's stomach was starting to heave, at some of the things he saw as they walked. The other two finally started following Jorowyn into the village, and along the path of carnage.

They were almost out the other side of the village when they found her. A little girl, probably no more than three or four, her body was covered with needles.

"Oh, Uranus..." Neptune turned away from the little girl, and buried her face in the shoulder of Uranus, as she wrapped a consoling arm around her shoulders.

Jorowyn knelt down next to the body, and remained there for several moments, before looking off into the forest, where the beast that caused all this went.

"I should have planned for it. It's all my fault. All my fault. All these innocent people. It's all my fault." From his vantage point, Jordan can tell that the guy about to snap.

"You're right, it is your fault. You and your damned Father. If he hadn't destroyed Phaeton, the Soul Devourers never would have gotten free." Uranus' harsh tone brought Jorowyn back around. "But that isn't getting us anywhere right now, and that thing is still free. Snap out of it. We have to stop this thing, before any more people fall victim to it. You couldn't have possibly known that it would get this far."

He stared, looking up at Uranus. Anger quickly rose inside of him, but it faded just as quickly, as Neptune stepped between the two.

"Come on Jorowyn. We have to go. Now." She tried to lighten the mood a bit, and hopefully keep the two from killing each other. "Besides, the Queen will be expecting us back for the ball tomorrow."

Jorowyn turned from the two, and started off in the direction the Soul Devourer had gone. At this point, he didn't seem to care if the other two followed or not. But they did eventually follow, and within another hour, they had cornered the beast in a clearing. They managed to surrounded it on three sides. Jordan was repulsed by the thing. If the one that had attacked him was ugly, this thing was down right repulsive.

It was shaped somewhat like a leopard, or maybe a panther. Its fur was spiky looking, and had a poisonous yellow tinge to it. All down its back, were hundreds of those wicked looking needles that he had seen back in the village. Its tail was tipped by several large spines. It hunched down in the middle of the clearing, hissing at them.

"You're mine beast!" Uranus yelled, as a small sphere of golden light shot from her hand. It skipped across the ground and slammed into the Soul Devourer, detonating in a blinding flash.

When the smoke cleared, instead of finding it disoriented, they found it about to unleash several needles at them. They barely managed to dodge out of the way, as dozens of needles buzzed by. They were back into attack positions again, almost instantly, though now they were a little more on guard this time.

"I don't think the usual tactics will work on this thing. I'll draw it's attention, while you two keep attacking it. With luck, we'll wear it out before it wears us out. As it is, I don't think I can get it's Soul Gem right now anyway." Jorowyn feinted and attack towards the Devourer, and as it launched more needles at him, Jordan was starting to think the guy had finally snapped. At the last second though, the needles were intercepted by a blue wall of energy, and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Jorowyn jumped back, just as the distracted devourer was hit simultaneously by Uranus's World Shaking and Neptune's Deep Submerge attacks. The thing screamed out as it slumped to the ground, severely injured and finally down for the count.

"Finally. How could that thing be so strong? For a second there, I thought it was immune to our attacks." Neptune seemed exhausted, as she approached the Devourer.

Uranus approached as well, followed by Jorowyn.

"I don't know. Let's get its Soul Gem, and get back to the Queen. I have a feeling that something bad is happening in our absence. The sooner we get back, and see that nothing is wrong, the better I will feel." Uranus sounded slightly agitated, as she stood there waiting.

Jorowyn bent down, and reached his hand towards the Soul Devourer's body. It disappeared into it as the body slowly started to dissolve into glittering dust and leaving Jorowyn holding a small crystal. It glowed slightly, and seemed to be perfectly formed, except for several tiny cracks.

Jorowyn stood up, and tried not to fall over from energy drain. He held the Gem for a moment as he caught his breath.

"Lets get out of here. I've got research to do now that we've caught the last one."

The three left, trudging wearily back towards the nearest Portal.

* * *

Several hours, and many grueling miles later, the three arrived at the Portal. They were too exhausted to notice the absence of people along the way, but it was blatantly obvious when they emerged from the Portal. Standing in the middle of Jupiter's capital city, there should have seen millions of people. Instead, it was deserted. There wasn't a single person in site. Not near the Portal they had just emerged from, nor around the Moon Portal.

The silence that greeted them sent waves of foreboding through their bodies. They quickly made their way to the Moon Portal. Even with no one around, they had to wait several moments before the Portal activated. The long wait did little to settle the nerves of the three, and they hurried through the Portal, dreading what they would find on the other side.

What the found when they emerged, was nearly enough to make even Jordan sick. There were signs everywhere that a sudden, and very brutal carnage had taken place. Jorowyn turned to look at the others and barely had time to erect a shield for the three of them, as the Portal exploded, sending debris everywhere. Looking around through the clearing smoke, he noticed that all the other Portals were in similar shape. Either broken, or all out destroyed. All except for the one to Earth. That one stood untouched.

As they started to recover, Jorowyn frowned before speaking. "What's happened? Who could have done this?" As he took in the rest of the landscape, he noticed the lack of bodies compared to the amount of blood. "Where. Where is everybody? The palace is in shambles."

It was Neptune, who found her voice next. "I don't know. We should look around."

The three agreed and split up to search the palace. After an hour of fruitless searching, Jorowyn met up with Neptune and Uranus before the doors to the Inner Sanctum.

"I take it that you two didn't find anything either?"

The two shook their heads, as he sighed. "This is the last place to search. The Queen's Sanctum. Maybe we can get some answers here."

Jorowyn stood before the two massive doors, and uttered a few silent words. Slowly, the doors opened inwards to reveal a sight that caused even Jordan's heart to ache, though he didn't know why.

The Queen's body lay on a fallen column. Signs of a massive amount of power being used were all over the room. The ceiling was no longer in place, and the Earth could clearly been seen in the sky. Most of the wall that faced the outside was missing, revealing a bleak landscape beyond. No more flowers, and no more trees.

From behind, he could hear Uranus weeping softly, and Neptune crying out. Jorowyn entered the room, and approached the Queen's body.

Almost immediately, a phantom image appeared between him and the Queen. Its form slowly settled into that of the Queen. She smiled weakly and with a touch of sadness at the three of them.

"If you three are seeing this, then I did not survive. It pains me to have to tell you what has happened during your absence, but you must know."

The three listened in silence, as the Queen revealed what had befallen their beautiful Kingdom.

The Prince of Earth had fled to the Moon during the Royal Ball, seeking help. His Prophetess, Beryl, had managed to subvert his four generals and had taken over the Earth with their help. Shortly after his arrival, Beryl and her forces attacked the Moon. It was violent, and brief. She had managed to kill the Prince, and Princess Serena almost before the Queen could get any defenses up. One by one, the other Sailor Scouts were defeated, each one killed by one of the Generals. When it looked like everything was lost, the Queen had made the ultimate sacrifice. She had performed a Sending, as well as a Banishing. She sent all the souls of the Kingdom that she could, forward into the future, where they would have the chance at a peaceful life. She had also sealed away Beryl and her minions, in hopes that no nothing like this would happen again.

After she finished telling the story, she turned to face Jorowyn. "Since I am no longer among the living, I ask you, Jorowyn, to contact Sailor Pluto. She will be able to send you all forward into the future so that you too can enjoy a chance at a peaceful life. You shall all be re-incarnated, with new lives and identities. And should a need arise for your powers, a way will be made for you to recover them. Farewell my faithful friends."

The Phantom image faded, and with it, so did the Queen's body. It slowly shimmered and then dissolved into moon dust, which promptly dissipated as though blown by a non existent wind.

Jorowyn remained silent for a moment, as Uranus turned on him. "This is all your fault! If your Father hadn't spread the Soul Devourers across the Kingdom, we would have been here to protect them!"

With that, she gave Jorowyn a sharp right hook and sent him sprawling to the floor. He looked up at her, knowing that she was right, but at the same time angry about it. It had been his fault, or at least partially. If he hadn't been so slow in tracking that last Soul Devourer, they could have been here. They could have made a difference. But even as those thoughts occurred to him, he knew they weren't true. If they had been here, they would have died just the same. He knew about the Seven Shadows. Their power was nearly unimaginable, especially when they were all together. One on one, he could handle them easily, but as a group even he didn't stand a chance.

As he remained lost in his thoughts, Neptune get between Uranus, and Jorowyn, holding her back from killing him on the spot. "Uranus! What are you doing? Jorowyn isn't responsible for this. We've known for a while that there was trouble on the Earth, but we all just ignored it, hoping that it would go away. Besides, if you kill him, how will we contact Sailor Pluto? Until now, I didn't even know that she was real."

She turned to Jorowyn, and helped him to his feet.

She waited a few minutes, before asking tentively. "Jorowyn, does Sailor Pluto really exist? Could she do what the Queen said?"

He nodded his head slowly, as he held up his amulet. Seeing it, Jordan realized now, what it was that he had found in the present. Trouble. Lots, and lots of trouble. Jorowyn concentrated, and slowly, the amulet began to glow. After a few minutes, it stopped and Jorowyn dropped it.

"Now, all we can do is wait. She'll come, and based on what has happened here, it should be soon."

True to his words, a mist started settling across the room. It came from the center of the room, and began to spread outwards. After a few more minutes, a large set of metal doors appeared within it. As soon as they settled into reality, they opened, and a new Sailor Scout emerged.

She had long, green-black hair, and she held in her hands a large staff. Jordan recognized it instantly as the Time Key, though he didn't know how he knew what it was. And with that, came another realization. Sailor Pluto, was Trista! No wonder she gave him the creeps.

Jorowyn bowed slightly to the new comer, as Uranus and Neptune looked at her with a touch of awe. "Greetings cousin. I'm sorry that it took such sad events had to bring us together again."

Pluto nodded to him, a look of deep regret on her face. "As am I. I saw this coming, but there was nothing I could do, restrained as I am by my duties." She turned to face Neptune, and Uranus, and nodded to them. "An honor to meet you, Sailor Neptune. Sailor Uranus. I know what it is that you have called upon me for, and indeed, I can send you forward." This was said as she turned back to Jorowyn. "However, there are certain conditions to this, and none of you may like them. Your Transformation items must be taken from you, though you will receive them again, when there is need. And in your case Jorowyn, I'm afraid that this means that Soul Devourers will begin to emerge again, and they will flourish, with no one to stop them. As a balance, you will manage to find their end in the future. Can you accept these terms, knowing the consequences?"

Jorowyn was silent a moment, as he thought it over. Uranus, and Neptune watched him nervously. This was all up to him it seemed. It didn't seem to take him long to reach his decision.

"Yes. But only because it means I will have a chance to end my Family's shame, I'll do what ever it takes."

* * *

Jordan snapped awake, eyes staring up at the ceiling. It took him a moment to figure out that he was back in his hospital room and not back in the past, stuck in that fruitcake's head. Jorowyn seemed like a nice guy, but a few of the thoughts he had picked up labeled him as unstable to say the least. He turned his gaze from the ceiling, over to the amulet laying on the table. After staring at it for a few minutes, a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Damn it!"

He was that Jorowyn fruitcake. He was the present re-incarnation of Jorowyn the loony. There was no way of denying it now. Especially as he put two, and two together. Trista's visit, Ami, and her friends being Sailor Scouts. Even that talking cat.

"Great. Guess that means I'm a damn Superhero as well."

He closed his eyes, and sighed. So much for trying to milk this hospital thing. He opened his eyes, and grabbed the amulet. As soon as he touched it, he felt a jolt of energy, and several very important memories surfaced. Most important of which, made him smile. He could heal himself faster than he could naturally, through the use of a healing sleep. Grinning, he closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep again. With luck, he'd be able to get out of this hospital by the time he woke up again.

While he was asleep, a few more memories and some past events came to him, though none where anywhere near as intense, or draining as the previous dreams. Life was going to be a bit more interesting from now on. Especially since he doubted, that Ami and her friends had memories as intact as his. After all, he hadn't been slaughtered back then. Maybe being a Superhero wouldn't be that bad.


	5. Chapter 4 Phaeton Arrives

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 4: Phaeton Arrives

By: GINSAN

Jordan looked around groggily, as he slowly woke up. He didn't know where he was at first, but the patterned ceiling gave him a clue. He was in the hospital still. He sighed, as he thought about how much longer he'd be stuck here. With luck, he could just make the doctors release him, and he could finish healing at home. The longer he thought about it, the more he wished he could go home. The meals here weren't exactly gourmet, and he was going stir crazy with nothing to do.

After a while, he looked over at the amulet. Last night had been interesting, to say the least. The only good thing was that he now knew that he wasn't going crazy. The dreams had actually had meaning behind them, and wasn't his minds way of telling he was going nuts. Apparently, that had happened back during the time period, the memories were from.

He sat up, so that he could grab the amulet. It wasn't until it was actually in his hand, that he realized that his ribs weren't hurting anymore, and that he could also breathe without hurting. He thought about it for a minute, before grinning as he laid back.

"So it worked after all. I may not be fully healed yet, but I'm sure I can get out of here now."

He lay there, waiting for the Doctor to make his morning rounds. Was that poor guy ever in for a surprise. But what to do after he got out?

* * *

The afternoon sunlight came down in dappled patterns through the leaves, as dust motes danced in the rays of light. Kinso Park was relatively new, but its serene beauty attracted many people to it. Today though, the park was anything but serene as people ran for their lives. No one had been hurt yet, but it was only a matter of time. Luckily, help was available. There, at the back of the park, trying to have a picnic.

Ami and her friends had decided that today would make a great day for a picnic. Lita had made the food, with some help from Ami, and Rini. Serena had actually provided the desert, a chocolate cake made by her Mom. Rae had picked the park, and Mina had provided the drinks.

Everything was going great. The sandwiches were eaten, and Serena had actually managed to control herself by not eat everything in site. They were all ready for desert, as Serena patiently served a slice to everyone else first, leaving herself with the last piece. She was just about to take the first bite, when the first of the fleeing people ran by.

They were confused at first, until the people came close enough for them to hear. As soon as they heard them shouting about a monster, all the girls, but Serena got up. They turned to look back at Serena.

She pouted, and looked on the verge of tears, as she put the piece of cake down, and joined the other girls. "I never get to have my desert."

The girls went in the direction the fleeing people had come from, stopping behind some bushes when they reached the spot. From there, they looked out on what they were dealing with.

Ami gasped, as she saw it. "That's the one that attacked Morgan and Jordan." She looked at the others, as she brought out her transformation pen. "We have to stop it, before it hurts anyone else."

Serena and the other girls nodded, as spread out a bit. Serena and Rini brought out their compacts, as Mina, Rae, and Lita brought out their Transformation Pens. All six girls raised them up in the air as they called out their Transformation Phrase.

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

Beams of light surrounded the six girls, as they were transformed into their Sailor Scout forms. The six Scouts jumped out of bushes and surrounded the Soul Devourer. It stopped its rampage, to look at the Scouts.

Serena, now Sailor Moon, stood directly in front of the Monster.

She took up a dramatic pose, as she began to lecture the monster. "We are the Sailor Soldiers of peace and love. We stand for Justice, and punish evil. I am the Sailor guided by the Moon, Sailor Moon!"

She ended, with her legs spread apart slightly, and her arms up. The right arm was pointing to the left, and her left arm was pointing straight up.

Rini, now Sailor Mini-Moon, stood next to Sailor Moon, her back up against Sailor Moon's.

Her stance was almost a mirror image of hers. "I am the Sailor Guardian from the future, Sailor Mini-Moon!"

Ami, now Sailor Mercury, stood to the left of Sailor Moon.

Her pose was similar to hers, with the exception that the positions of her arms were reversed. "I am the Sailor of Wisdom, guided by the planet Mercury, Sailor Mercury!"

Mina, now Sailor Venus, stood to the right of Sailor Mini-Moon.

She was standing in a fighting stance, legs spread slightly, and arms in front of her. "I am the Sailor of Love, guided by the planet Venus, Sailor Venus!"

Rae, now Sailor Mars, stood to the right of Sailor Venus.

Her stance was the same as Sailor Mercury's. "I am the Sailor of War, guided by the planet Mars, Sailor Mars!"

Lita, now Sailor Jupiter, stood to the left of Sailor Mercury.

She stood in the same fighting stance as Sailor Venus. "I am the Sailor of Nature, guided by the planet Jupiter, Sailor Jupiter!"

Together, the six delivered the next line their speech.

Each one spoke at exactly the same time. "We are the Sailor Scouts!"

After delivering the line, Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter switched stances. Mercury and Mars took up the fighting stance, while Jupiter and Venus took up the crossed arms stance.

Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mini-Moon turned to face each other, as they delivered the next line together. "In the name of the Moon, and our guardian planets, we will stop you from hurting any more people.

The two altered their arm positions, so that the arms that had been pointing up, now pointed at the monster. "Prepare to be Moon Dusted!"

The Monster laughed at them, as it waited for their attacks.

Mars was the first to do so, as she stepped forward. "I won't let you harm anyone else. For those you have harmed, I will punish you with my flames!"

She brought her arms together in front of herself, as she closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. She brought her fingertips together, as she opened her eyes again. Suddenly, she spread her arms wide, as she shouted out her attack.

"Mars fire Ignite!"

A stream of fire launched from in front of her, and headed straight for the Soul Devourer. It flared out a bit, creating a cone of fire.

The Monster turned to face her, and smiled as it raised its left hand towards the fire. As soon as the fire touched the hand, it was absorbed. The monster chuckled at the look of surprise on Mars' face. Before she could do anything else though, it charged at her, and swatted her to the ground with the same hand. She managed a small scream of pain, as she hit the ground, and was knocked cold.

Outraged at what had just happened to her friend, Sailor Jupiter rushed the monster, hitting, and kicking it in the back.

"You'll pay for that one freak!"

As she did this, Sailor Mercury was frantically trying to analyze the monster and find a weak spot, with her mini-computer and visor. So far, she was having no luck in doing so.

The Monster slowly turned around, as though Jupiter's attacks didn't matter. It quickly grabbed her with its right hand, before she could react. It brought her to its face, and grinned at her. The same foul breath that Jordan had smelled filled her nostrils, as it opened its maw. It suddenly threw her to the ground, and then stopped on her back. She managed to let out a scream of pain, as he lifted its foot, to stomp her again.

"Crescent Beam Smash!"

Before it could do any more damage though, it was caught in the back by the energy attack, and howled out. The sound was more frustration, than pain, as it quickly wheeled around to face off against Sailor Venus.

As it slowly lumbered towards her, she called out frantically to Sailor Mercury. "How do we beat this thing?"

The Monster stopped in front of her, and she could smell its foul breath, as he laughed at her frustration.

"Crescent Beam Smash!"

Venus attacked it again, desperate to get it way from her. Instead of hitting the monster though, it just raised its left hand again, and absorbed the attack.

Before she could react, it balled its right hand into a fist, and slammed her in the side, sending her flying. She collided with a tree, before slumping to the ground, unconscious. She hadn't even had time to scream out in pain. Seeing that she wasn't going to be causing any more trouble, the Soul Devourer slowly started turning around, to deal with the next Scout. It didn't turn around fast enough though.

"Thunderbolt Crash!"

The Devourer screamed out in pain, as a large lightning bolt hit it, as it finished turning around. Looking straight ahead, he spotted the source of this new pain.

Sailor Jupiter had managed to recover slightly, and get back to her feet while Sailor Venus had kept the monster occupied.

Even though she could barely stand, she glared at the monster, ready with another attack. "I've had just about enough of you."

She never got a chance to use her attack.

Moving faster than any of them thought possible, it charged at Jupiter. At the last possible second, instead of slamming into her, it backhanded her, sending her flying into another tree, where she too slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing that she wouldn't be causing any more pain, the Soul Devourer slowly advanced on Sailor Mercury, who had given up trying to find a weak spot on the thing. It was simply too strong for them.

"Just have to wing it then."

She started to turn around, preparing to launch her attack at the monster.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

The spray of freezing water slammed into the Devourer. It froze solid, almost instantly. Mercury took a deep breath, surprised that she had managed to stop it.

"You got it Mercury! Yah!"

Sailor Moon was jumping up and down, much to the frustration of Sailor Mini-Moon. Sailor Moon started clapping her hands, as she continued to jump. Her celebration was a bit premature.

With a deep roar, the Soul Devourer broke out of the skin of ice, and stood there, completely unhurt.

Mercury stood standing at the monster, unable to fathom how it had shrugged off the attack, when it had hurt it in the past.

The Soul Devourer raised its left hand once more, pointed towards Mercury. Thinking that it had probably done so, expecting another attack from her, she was completely unprepared for what it did next.

The hand glowed slightly, and before Mercury had a chance to dodge it, the Devourer sent the stored energy of both Venus' and Mars' attack at her. A swirling cone of fire, and energy slammed into her, and sent her flying back, to land several feet away. She tried to get up again, but with a soft moan of pain, she collapsed, and remained still.

This sent Sailor Moon into shook. She dropped to the ground, and remained there, on her butt, staring at the limp bodies of her friends. Seeing that this was obviously going to fall to her.

"Since Sailor Moon is spaced out as usual, I, Sailor Mini Moon will vanquish you!"

She held her small scepter up, and pointed it towards the Soul Devourer.

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

Absolutely nothing happened. Sailor Mini Moon stood there, staring at the scepter, while the Soul Devourer started laughing again.

It started moving towards Sailor Moon and Mini Moon, obviously not afraid of them.

Sailor Mini Moon smacked the scepter a couple of times, then pointed it at the monster again.

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

This time, a stream of small, pink colored hearts shot out of the scepter, and started smacking into the Devourer. It stopped in its tracks, and even slid back a little, as the hearts continued to hit it. After a minute though, the hearts stopped, and the now angry monster glared at Mini Moon.

"Uh oh..."

The Soul Devourer ran up to her, and backhanded her, sending her flying into a tree, stuck up in its branches. She was still conscious, though barely, and could hardly move.

The Devourer turned to face Sailor Moon, who had managed to get up, and even back up a little ways from the monster. She looked around quickly, and looked as though she were waiting for something. Or someone.

Seeing that help was not coming, she raised her own scepter, and faced off against the Monster.

"Um. This is your last chance. Give up? Please?"

The Soul Devourer laughed at her, and took a step towards her.

"Okay, I warned you. Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

A bunch of flashy images appeared behind her, as she twirled around, and stopped, with her legs tucked under her. From the scepter, a small heart appeared, which quickly grew larger than the monster, before finally slamming into him, and shattering.

The monster went flying backwards, before landing on its back. It stayed there, and remained limp.

Sailor Moon stayed where she was on the ground for moment, as she caught her breath. Seeing that the Monster was lying unconscious on the ground, she headed over to the tree, to try and get Mini Moon down. Leaving her back facing the monster.

"Hang in there Mini Moon! I'll get you down."

As she pulled on Mini Moon, trying to pull her out of the branches, Mini Moon started to scream at her to stop. She stopped suddenly though, as she saw something behind Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon, look out be..."

She never got to finish the warning, as a blast of red and black energy slammed into Sailor moon, and sent her flying. She landed several feet away from the tree, and remained on the ground, unable to move. She looked on in horror, as the monster slowly got up from where it was laying. Its left arm was still outstretched, and smoking.

It got to its feet, and started moving towards Sailor Moon.

"Feast!"

The monster started closing in on Sailor Moon. Its hand was stretch out towards her, and was starting to glow slightly. All she could do was look on as it got closer. It started to lick its lips, as its hand flexed in expectation.

It was less than two feet away from sailor Moon, when it suddenly roared in pain, and spun around, clutching at its back. As the back came into Sailor Moon's view, she could see little bolts of green energy sticking out of it as they slowly started dissolving.

Looking around, Sailor Moon spotted her savior. Though he wasn't her usual rescuer, he did strike a bit of a heroic pose.

Standing somewhere a little over six feet, the 'savior' was dressed in a suit of armor. The chest plate was a jade green color, while the highlights and the three-pointed star on it, were silver. Underneath it, was cloth of a black color that very much resembled a body suit. Shin guards of similar coloration covered his lower legs. Up near the knees, though, they pointed up and away, forming a sharp edge. Gauntlets of a similar design as the shin guards, covered his lower arms. There was also a knee length cape, which started from behind his right shoulder and wrapped around his back, to stop in front of his left shoulder. It was colored silver on the underside, and the jade green color on the outside. His facial features were indiscernible, since a large helmet covered his head. It was reminiscent of the Middle Ages. It was cylindrical in shape, with a Y cut in the front, starting from eye level, and going through the bottom. It was silver, with the jade green for the trim.

He slowly lowered his outstretched right hand, apparently the one that he had used to attack the Monster. The hand clenched into a fist and a blade of green energy formed just above the hand. It was about three and a half feet in length, and formed much like a katana.

His deep voice rumbled out from the helmet, as he spoke. "Soul Devourer, your rampage stops here and now. I will not allow you to steal anymore Soul Gems to feed your corrupted hunger. In the name of the shattered planet Phaeton, I will send you, and all your kind, back to the Void that spawned you. I am Phaeton Knight, Defender of the planet Phaeton. In it's shattered memory, I will claim your Soul Gem."

He stood his ground, as he pointed his sword at the Soul Devourer, and took up a defensive stance. With his free hand, he waved at the monster, taunting it to attack.

It roared again, and then charged at Phaeton. Its horns began to glow a sickly green color, as it got closer, and it lowered its head. At the last second, Phaeton jumped to the side, and lashed out with the sword, striking the Soul Devourer in the back.

It howled in pain again, as it tumbled, and fell to the ground. Phaeton jumped backwards a bit, and faced towards the monster. As the monster started getting up, Phaeton altered his stance a bit.

He braced his legs, and dissipated the sword. He pointed his left arm straight up into the air. He brought the hand on his right hand before his face, and looked like he was saying a prayer. Just as the Monster got to its feet, he pointed both arms towards it, palms open and flat.

"Cryo Detonation!"

Thousands of little shards of ice flew from his palms, and slammed into the monster. Many simply hit the ground around the monster. As soon as the ice shards stopped shooting from his hands, a huge lightning bolt struck down, and hit the Devourer, and became supercharged by the ice shards.

After the lightning stopped, the monster slumped to its feet, smoking. Its arms twitched a little, before stopping, and leaving the thing completely still.

Phaeton slowly walked towards the fallen Monster, and stopped when he was standing over it. He looked down at it for a moment.

During his attack, the Scouts had slowly started to come too, and they managed to focus their vision just in time to watch Phaeton plunge his hand into the Soul Devourer. There was an intense, and ear splitting shriek from the monster as he did so. His arm stayed that way for a moment, before withdrawing, and emerged from the Devourer, with a small, glowing crystal in his hand. A second later, the Soul Devourer dissolved into dust, which was quickly dispersed by the afternoon winds.

Phaeton turned to face Sailor Moon, as he raised the crystal up to his chest. Instantly, it disappeared into him, leaving a stunned look on the Scouts. He nodded towards Sailor Moon, as he started to walk off.

"Wait!" A groggy Sailor Jupiter called after him, and halted him in his steps. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

He didn't turn around when he answered her. "Phaeton. That's all you need know for now."

He continued walking away, and before someone else could ask him a question, his vanished in a shimmer of green, and silver light.

The Scouts slowly made there way over to where Sailor Moon was laying on the ground, conscious still, but obviously weak, like the rest of them. At the same time, there was a thump, as Mini Moon finally fell out of the tree. She too made her way over to Sailor Moon, and plopped down on the ground, next to her, as did the others.

Mars managed to speak first. "Who was that guy? Do you know him Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon slowly shook her head, as she regarded her friends. "No, but I'm glad he showed up. I think, that if he hadn't, we'd all be in a lot of trouble right now. Nothing we threw at that thing seemed to hurt it, but he managed to destroy it, with relative ease."

She thought a moment, before gazing off in the direction he had vanished in.

She turned back to the Scouts after a minute. "I didn't hear him too clearly, when he showed up, but he called himself Phaeton, Knight of the shattered planet. That means anything to you guys?"

Everyone shook their heads, as Mini Moon looked around.

Finally, she looked at Sailor Moon. "I wonder where Tuxedo Mask is? He should have shown up to help, or at least showed up to see how we are."

Sailor Moon thought on that one. "That is strange. But lets worry about that latter. I've got a piece of chocolate cake to get back to!"

The others all fell over backwards at her statement, as she got up, and headed back to where they had left their food. The other girls quickly got up, and followed after her.

They were almost back to the spot, when they decided it was time to change back. They found a little clump of bushes to hid in, while they changed back. As they did so, Sailor Moon tripped over something. Looking at what it was, she cried out and scooted back to it. Lying on the ground, was a guy dressed up in a black tuxedo, complete with cape, and top hat, though the hat was now on the ground. The missing hat also revealed a rather large bump on the person's head.

Sailor Moon cradled his head in her lap, as the others gathered around, wondering what had happened to him.

"Tuxedo Mask? Come on, wake up. What happened to you?"

With a groan, Tuxedo Mask started coming around.

He looked up into the concerned face of Sailor Moon, and seemed confused for a moment, before he remembered what happened. "I. I had a premonition that you were in trouble. I hurried over to help. Before I could, someone hit me over the back of the head and knocked me out. I guess they dragged me in here, to keep me out of the way."

The Scouts all looked at each other, the same thought occurring to them. However, they decided to worry about it later, when they got back to the Temple.

Mercury stood up, and looked around. "Doesn't look like anyone's around. Lets change back, and get our stuff. I think we should talk about this at the temple."

Everybody quickly agreed, and they all changed back to normal, including Tuxedo Mask. The group of seven left the bushes, and headed for the picnic spot.

When they got to their picnic spot, everything seemed okay, minus one thing. Serena's plate, with her piece of cake, was missing the piece of cake. In its place, was a note. Whining, Serena grabbed the note, and read it. Afterwards, she pouted a bit, and handed it to everyone to read. Several surprised looks met the note, as they read it.

'Sorry for taking your cake. Haven't eaten a decent meal in forever, and the cake was too tempting to pass up. Make it up to you later.'

A disappointed Serena gathered her stuff, and waited quietly for the others to do the same. She had really wanted that piece of cake, and had even gone out of the way, to make sure she deserved it, by letting everyone else have a piece first. It just wasn't fair!

The others finally finished cleaning up, and they headed for the temple. Serena walked next to Darien, who was trying to comfort her, over the lost cake. He eventually gave it up, and just let her cling to his arm.

They made their weary way to the temple, where they all piled into Rae's room. Everyone, except Darien, collapsed wherever there was room. Darien carefully sat down on the floor, near Serena. Everyone eventually got comfortable. Silence remained in the room however, as they all discovered they were too exhausted to talk.

Eventually, Darien found himself as the only person still awake, as various snores started coming from the girls. Sighing, he got up, and headed out into the hall. He picked up the phone, and called Amara. It looked the girls would be out of commission for a while, and someone had to keep patrolling the city.


	6. Chapter 5 Dark Horizon

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 5: Dark Horizon

By: GINSAN

"So, who do you think he was Luna?"

The girls had eventually woken up, especially after Luna and Artimus had shown up. It took a little while for everyone to wake up. After they did though, they pounced on Luna and Artimus, trying to get as many questions answered as possible.

Luna looked thoughtfully over at Artimus, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "I can't say for sure. It is possible he was telling the truth. There was a planet Phaeton."

"WHAT?!"

All the girls at the meeting, except for Trista found this news very surprising. Darien didn't react at all. Mostly because he was wondering why Trista had opted not to join everyone else for this meeting.

Luna nodded her head slightly, as she continued. "I can't remember why, but during the Silver Millennium, it was destroyed. The remains of it eventually settled into what we now call the asteroid belt. It used to be a center for Spiritual Enlightenment, before it was destroyed. The survivors were scattered all over the remaining planets."

She stopped talking, as she thought over what else she could remember. She shook her head in frustration, as nothing else would come.

"Sorry, but that's all I can remember. How about you Artimus?"

Artimus took a while, before he started talking, obviously trying to think of how to phrase his words. "I remember about as much as Luna, but there is one other thing." He paused again, to make sure everyone was listening. "Phaeton never had a Sailor Scout to represent it. It always had a Prince. He wasn't around much though. I think Queen Serenity always had him out on patrols." He shrugged, as he looked over at Luna. "That's all I can remember. The information doesn't really help us determine who he is, but at least we can confirm that he could be on our side."

Silence met this, as they thought about it.

Eventually, Darien spoke up. "So how do we find out who it is?"

Luna and Artimus were silent as they thought this one over. It had been difficult enough to find the original Scouts, and they had had plenty of information on them. Trying to find someone they had very little information on would be a nightmare.

Finally, Luna spoke up. "The best we can do is hope that the next time he pops up, he's more talkative."

The others nodded at this, knowing that it was the only thing they could do. They couldn't pick up his energy signature anywhere, so they'd just have to wait for him to show up again. And hope, that the next time he did it wasn't because they were getting their butts kicked.

* * *

"Hey Hotaru! Wait up!"

Hotaru turned around, to spot a very energetic Morgan running up to her. Rini had missed school today, so she was on her way over to her house to bring her her homework. She was just about to walk up to her house, when Morgan had stopped her.

"Hello Morgan. I thought you had to go straight home today?"

"I did." Morgan was slightly out of breath, as she caught up to Hotaru. "Mom had someone pick me up from school, and bring me home. When I got there though, Jordan gave me this cake, and told me to take it to Serena." She gestured at the tightly bound box in her hands. "I'm supposed to give it to Serena, and give the note in my pocket."

Hotaru looked at the box, wondering at the condition of the cake, especially after Morgan had been running with it.

She started walking towards the house, when she realized what Morgan had just said. "Jordan made the cake? He's still in the hospital though, isn't he?"

Morgan shook her head. "Nope. He got the doctors to release him, so that he could finish recuperating at home. Apparently, the food didn't agree with him. He spent all day working on the cake."

Hotaru just looked at her for a minute, before shaking her head. The two of them reached the front door, and Hotaru pressed the doorbell. She looked over at Morgan as they waited.

How could Jordan be out of the hospital already? With his injuries, he should have been there for at least another month. It just didn't make sense.

The door opened, and Serena's mother looked out at the two girls. "Hotaru, Morgan. Rini is upstairs with Serena. They're trying to see who's the best one at that game of theirs." Mrs. Tsukino sighed. "They've been at it all day. See if you two can pry them away from it."

She smiled cheerfully at them, as she waved them inside the house. They took their shoes off, and quickly made their way upstairs to Serena's room. Even if they had never been there before, the screaming would have been an instant giveaway.

"It's my turn you little brat! Give me the controller!"

"No way! You went twice in a row, now I get two turns!"

The arguing stopped, as soon as Rini spotted Morgan, and Hotaru. "Hotaru! Morgan! Am I ever glad to see you!"

She tossed the controller aside, managing to smack Serena in the face as she did so. An angry Serena was about to smack her with the controller, when Morgan shoved the box into her face.

"This is for you. Jordan told me to give it to you. And there's a note too."

Serena took the box, as Morgan fished through her clothes, trying to find the note. As Serena opened the box, Morgan finally found the note, and gave it to her, while Rini, and Hotaru started looking at the delicious looking cake in the box.

"He said you should read the note, before eating the cake."

Serena nodded, as she opened the note, and read it. When she was done, her eyes looked like there were going to pop out of her head. She read it twice more, before handing it to Hotaru, and Rini to read. Both of them were bugged eyed as well, after they finished reading.

'This cake's for you. Think of it as a thank you present.

P.S. Don't let that brat Rini have any of it.'

"What?" A confused Morgan looked at the three girls, and the weird expressions on their faces.

She couldn't figure out what would be in the note, that would cause such a reaction in them.

Hotaru managed to speak first. "When exactly, did Jordan get released from the hospital?"

Morgan thought a moment, before replying. "I'm not sure, but he was home when Rini called me to invite me to the picnic at Kinso Park yesterday. I couldn't come, because he was home."

The three girls all looked at each other.

Finally, Serena handed the box to Hotaru. "Why don't you three take this downstairs, and have a slice. Make sure you save one for me."

Taking the hint, Rini and Hotaru dragged Morgan out of the room, and downstairs to enjoy the cake. As soon as they were gone, Serena rummaged around in her bed, until she finally found her wrist communicator.

She flipped it open, and pressed the button for Ami. "Ami, come in. This is Serena." Almost instantly, Ami's face appeared in the little communicator, Luna sitting on her shoulder. "Good, Luna's still with you. I have some good news, and some bad news for you."

Luna and Ami exchanged a wary glance, before looking back towards Serena.

"What's the good news?" Luna was skeptical, especially, since this news was coming from Serena.

"Well, me, Rini, and Hotaru know who Phaeton is."

Luna was silent for a moment, now afraid of what the bad news was going to be. "The bad news?"

"It's Jordan."

* * *

Everyone was crowded into the now familiar site of Rae's room. Ami, Lita, and Mina were sitting on Rae's bed. Rae, Amara, Michelle, and Hotaru were sitting on the floor, up against the wall next to the bed. Serena, Hotaru, and Rini were sitting where the table usually was. Even Trista was there, standing near the door. Darien was still at work, and unable to attend the emergency meeting.

Everyone in the room, was looking at Serena, Rini, and Hotaru. The three had just finished telling about how they figured out that Jordan was Phaeton. After a few minutes, all eyes swiveled, to look at Trista.

She just smiled, as she answered their unspoken question. "Yes, I knew. And no, I can't tell you anything more about planet Phaeton. That's up to him to tell you, or for you to remember. I'm sorry."

Silence, and frustration met her statement. They were usually able to get more information from her than this. Even if it usually was a riddle.

"So what do we do now?" Lita sounded a bit worried. "We could barely scratch that last monster, and then he came along, and barely lifted a finger to destroy it. What's to keep him from doing the same to us?"

A laugh from Trista directed everyone's attention back to her. "You won't have to worry about him attacking you. He can be trusted. That much I can reveal."

Silence again, as they though about that one. Even though they now knew who Phaeton was, they still weren't comfortable. Jordan, no matter what Trista's opinion of him was, was still someone they couldn't quite trust. Especially after the way he had treated them.

Finally, Ami voiced the question that many of them were thinking. "How did he recover from his injuries so fast? Mom said that his new X-Rays looked like he had never broken a bone."

Once again, everyone looked to Trista for the answer. This time, she had a surprise for them.

"I honestly don't know." She paused for a minute, as she thought it over. "My best guess, is that his powers have been altered somehow. I'm afraid you'll have to ask him for the answer to that question."

Silence again, as they tried to absorb the fact that Trista was stumped. She always knew what was going on, even if she couldn't always tell them. It was part of her job. The thought that there was something she didn't know, was something totally new. And frightening.

"Are you sure you can't think of a reason?" The usually quiet Michelle sounded perfectly calm, considering what Trista had just revealed.

Trista shook her head. "No. With everything I've seen from the Corridors of Time, I've never seen or heard of someone's powers changing like this. I'm more confused, than I've been in a long, long time."

This comment brought a few smiles, and even a small chuckle or two. Eventually, everyone decided that Trista was right. They'd have to ask Jordan.

"So who's going to do it? Who's going to go ask Jordan?" Lita looked at the group, noticing that quite a few of them looked away from her. "I'll go, if no one else will. He doesn't scare me."

Amara looked at her. "I suggest we all go. The more of us there are, the less chance of him pushing us around."

Eventually, everyone agreed on this, except Trista. "I have to get back to my duties. I'd only be a hindrance anyway."

With that, she made a polite exit from the room. Looked like it would just be the nine of them going to see Jordan.

* * *

An hour's time found the nine girls at the front door of the Mallone residence. Since most them had never been there, they found themselves staring a little overwhelmed. Rini and Hotaru had failed to mention that Jordan lived in a three story pagoda mansion.

"Wow."

Mina's simple statement seemed to adequately define what the others were thinking. The mansion looked like it was at least two hundred years old. They could make out some newer building behind the mansion, but they weren't noticeable this close.

Nervously, Rini reached for the very modern doorbell. She pushed the button, and everyone waited anxiously, to see what sort of a welcome they would receive.

They didn't have to wait long, as the door opened, and Morgan poked her head out. "Hey Rini. Hey Hotaru. Jordan's been waiting for you all to show up. Come on, I'll take you to him."

She let them all in, closing the door behind them. She lead them through the house, to the approximate middle of the large mansion. In front of them, was a wall of mirrors that went from the floor to the ceiling. Morgan slid aside one of the mirrors, to reveal a large courtyard. At one time, it had probably been used as a Zen rock garden. Currently though, it was being used as a practice ground.

Morgan halted everyone just inside the practice ground, as she cupped her hands. "JORDAN!"

Her yelled stopped him in the middle of a slow moving exercise, and he turned to face his sister. When he saw who was with her, he grabbed the towel at his feet, and cleaned himself up. He walked towards them, trying to get some of the sweat out of his long hair. It was pretty obvious from the way he moved, that he wasn't in any pain.

He stopped in front of Morgan, and looked at her. "You can take Rini up to your room now. And yes, you can borrow my new video. Just keep it down."

Morgan immediately latched onto Rini's arm, and dragged her off. As soon as the two were gone, Jordan lead the rest of the girls into the living room.

He waited until they were all settled in chairs or on the couch, before talking. "Lets get one thing straight off the bat. I don't like most of you, and I know most of you don't like me. I don't care."

Amara got up and looked like she was about to do something to Jordan, when Michelle grabbed her arm and tugged her back onto the couch. She glared at Jordan, as he continued speaking.

"However, I also know, that you can't handle these new monsters. Consider me an expert on them. Sure, you can injure them when they first appear, but it doesn't last. They longer they remain after materializing, the stronger they become, until almost nothing can stop them. You are all going to have to alter your attack methods slightly, unless you manage to defeat them at the first encounter."

He leaned back into his chair, and looked at Artimus. The white cat was sitting in Mina's lap, and was looking quite skeptical.

Jordan smiled, as he focused his attention on the cat. "Don't believe anything I'm saying, huh? Well, let me tell you something. Unlike all of you, I have a perfect memory from the Moon Kingdom. That's more than any of you can boast about. I know exactly how each of you died back then, except for Amara and Michelle. They were with me on an assignment at the time. When we finished and returned to the palace, it was in shambles. I don't feel like talking about what happened on that particular mission, and most likely neither will you two if you ever remember."

He looked at the puzzled expressions that were now on Amara and Michelle's faces. "I remember everything, because I made a few alterations to my Star Seed. And there's the fact that I didn't perish in the assault on the Moon. I was sent forward into the future, along with Amara and Michelle, by Trista. She distorted Queen Serenity's Sending slightly. Before that though, I set up a dream sequence that would restore all my memories as soon as I was reunited with my Energy Focus. Something didn't go according to plan though."

He paused, as he looked at everyone. "Some of my abilities were transferred to my physical body. In so doing, most of it's energy was drained. The powers that were transferred to my physical body, remained mostly dormant until I arrived here in Tokyo. They started to become active as soon as I came across my Focus. The Focus activated my powers, and my powers started to recharge my Focus."

He stopped again to hold up the crystal amulet that he had shown Ami and Hotaru. Now though, the symbol for the planet Phaeton glowed inside of it, for everyone there to see.

He tucked it back inside his shirt. "My dream sequence, wasn't triggered though, until the attack. One of my powers kicked in, and saved my life, and also activated the sequence. However, since I wasn't wearing it while I was in the hospital, it couldn't work. After you two left, I looked at the amulet for a while. I'm not sure when, but at some point while I was holding it, the dream sequence activated. You all can guess what happened afterwards."

He looked around at the girls, as he saw understanding, in most of their faces, and utter bewilderment in a few. "I got my memories back, healed myself, and checked out of the hospital." He shook his head, as Serena, and Mina finally started to get it. "I came home, and Morgan told me about your picnic. I decided that I would come and have a talk with you. That Devourer showed up, and I decided to see how you would do against it. We all know how that went, and that I stepped in to stop it. I might say, that thing was actually a lot stronger than it should have been. Almost as strong as one I fought back in the Silver Millennium."

He stopped talking, as he thought that over for a minute. The girls took advantage of this distraction, and hurriedly converse with Artimus.

"Could he really have altered the powers of his Star Seed?" Ami leaned in close to Artimus, as she whispered her question.

"It's possible, though I don't have a clue as to how he did it." Artimus sounded confused, even as he answered Ami.

The girls separated and thought on it, as Jordan started talking again.

"That's enough of my life's story. Back to the Soul Devourers. I'll tell you what they are.

"I'll have to start at the beginning though. I don't know if the Mauians told you what Soul Gems are. Basically, they are why you are a human, and not a plant, or some other kind of animal. Each one is unique and every plant, animal, and person has one. They are the essence of your being, and they give you your motivation, and enthusiasm for living. Without one, you would be nothing more than a living zombie. Living, but with no will power. No will to enjoy life."

He had to stop here, as something he'd rather not remember came to his mind. The scene of that poor village and all it's inhabitants.

He shook it off, as he continued. "A Soul Devourer, is basically a flawed Soul Gem. It craves power, and its only wish, is to be whole again. They absorb other, complete, Soul Gems in hopes of restoring themselves. This will never happen though, since the absorbed Soul Gems are repelled from the fractured Soul Gem. This means, that the Soul Devourer will never be satiated, and yet, it also means that the Soul Gems can be removed from the Soul Devourer."

He paused, as he waited for the information to be absorbed. "If anyone noticed, after I beat the Devourer in the park yesterday, I took it's Soul Gem. Right now, it rests inside of my Focus. This keeps it sealed away, and my Focus can remove whatever Soul Gems it had. If a Soul Devourer is defeated, you must get it's Soul Gem. You'll know what it is, as soon as you see it. Bring it to me, and I'll contain it. If you don't, the Soul Gem will vanish, and eventually come back. Ten times as strong, and a hundred times more difficult to defeat."

He stopped, and his expression let them know they could now ask any questions they had. Whether he answered them or not, remained to be seen.

Ami came up with one first. "How do we restore a Soul Gem to it's owner?"

Jordan sighed, and actually looked sad for a moment. "You can't. I spent years trying to find a way, and I never found one. I know there's a way, but I haven't found it yet."

The others remained silent at this for a while, before Mina finally asked a question. "So where do Soul Destroyers come from?"

It took Jordan a minute to figure out what she asked. "Soul Devourers, they're called Soul Devourers."

He was silent for a few more minutes as he thought over his words. "The Void. A pocket of reality, that exists outside of our own. It's physical laws tend towards the chaotic, which leads to the creation of Soul Devourers. It's environment causes extreme stress to Soul Gems, and prolonged exposure, ultimately, leads to them fracturing. Thus creating a Soul Devourer. How they manage to get into our world, remains unknown. As does a way to their world."

Everyone was silent again, either thinking over all the information they had gotten, or thinking up questions.

Hotaru finally came up with one. "What happened to Phaeton?"

It was obviously the wrong question to ask. Jordan's hands clenched into fists, and his expression showed a deep anger.

Just as soon as it happened though, Jordan relaxed, and looked at Hotaru. "It was destroyed. Destroyed, so that the rest of Kingdom would remain safe. I think that's enough questions."

The girls all got silent, and Artimus looked closely at Jordan. The momentary look of anger was gone, but there was still a trace of it. There was also a trace of something else, but he just couldn't tell what it was.

"There is one more thing I'll tell you, before I kick you all out." Jordan stood up as he spoke, causing everyone else to get up as well. "You have to actually want to kill these things. They aren't anything worth saving, and nothing you do to them will destroy their Soul Gems. Kill them, or they will kill you. Plain and simple. Now, you can all leave, or wait here for Rini and Morgan to come back down. I have things to do. Whatever you do though, do not go wandering around the house. I don't feel like picking up someone's mess."

Jordan left the room, going back down the hallway that lead to the courtyard. A soon as he was gone, everyone started talking at once. After a few minutes though, they all finally calmed down enough to actually hear what someone was saying.

Lita looked at Artimus, a severe look on her face. "It's funny how Luna didn't know all that stuff about Devourer's. And that you two don't remember anything about Phaeton. Start talking. Is he making that stuff up, or is it all true?"

Artimus gulped, as all eight girls fixed their eyes on him. "Uh, well. I don't know. It's almost like those memories are missing. I know that I know what happened then, but no matter what I try, I can't find those memories. Everything Jordan just said, sounded like the truth, but I can't be sure."

The girls sighed, realizing that interrogating Artimus was hopeless. They all plopped back down into their seats, trying to figure out what to do now.

Hotaru stood up, and started walking towards the stairs. "I'll go get Rini. We should probably leave now, before Jordan gets mad. I'm surprised he let us stay this long."

The girls looked at each other, as she headed up the stairs. She was right, Jordan didn't exactly seem like the person to host company.

"I'm going to take a look around! Rini said they had a game room around here somewhere." Serena dashed off down a hallway before anyone could stop her.

Rae sighed, as she looked at Lita. "You know she's probably going to end up breaking something, and that Jordan will most likely take it out on all of us, right?"

Lita sighed. "Probably. Lets go keep her out of trouble."

The two girls got up, and followed after Serena. Hopefully, she hadn't destroyed anything yet.

It took a while to find her. They hadn't found her in the game room. That was deserted. Instead, they found her peeking through a crack between two of the hall mirrors.

"Serena, what are you doing? We need to leave." Rae walked up to Serena, with Lita right behind her.

Not getting a response from her, Rae poked her in the shoulder. Nothing.

She walked around in front of her, and noticed that Serena was drooling. "Earth to Serena. Hello?" She waved her hand in front of her face, while Lita tried not to laugh.

Serena blinked her eyes, and looked blankly at Rae for a moment. She suddenly realized who it was, and looked behind, to see Lita laughing at her. A sudden blush crept up to her face, as Rae continued to look at her.

Rae fixed her with a curious look. "Just what were you looking at Meatball head?"

Serena's blush deepened, as she tried not to look at Rae. She started poking her index fingers together, as she chuckled slightly.

"Move aside meatball Head." Rae moved Serena out of the way, and put her own eye to the crack, to see what had Serena so worked up. "Wow."

Lita's curiosity got the better of her laughter and she poked Rae in the shoulder. "What is it? What could possibly be so interesting."

Rae waved Lita over to look through the crack.

Lita's posture slacked almost instantly. "Wow."

"That's what I said." Rae's posture was slowly starting to match that of Lita's.

The cause of their rapt attention was just beyond the mirrored barrier, flipping his body weight up and around a set of parallel bars. But the real reason Lita and Rae had become so senseless and the reason why Serena had been drooling moments before stemmed from the fact that Jordan had stripped down to the lower half of his red karate gi, which was cause for much feminine sighing. His torso was leanly built, very narrow in the hips and stomach but his shoulders widened out plenty to keep him from looking too overly skinny. The muscles in his chest, arms and back were toned to utter perfection, his biceps knotted and his flat abdomen slightly ridged with sinew. All of the lightly tanned skin showing was currently misted now with a faint skein of sweat as well, causing it to shine faintly under the halogen lights above.

Even as Rae and Lita watched, both drooling slightly now themselves, Jordan released his hold on the bars and came down onto the mat in a slight, faultless hop. They saw his muscled shoulders heave in a slight sigh before reaching back and tugging out the band holding his long hair at bay. He shook his head slightly, the curled tips swishing down well to his rear-end, then he suddenly grabbed it up and quickly re-tied the mass again in several deft twists, tying it back into a tail. Jordan shook out his arms slightly after that, then leapt back onto the lowest bar again.

"Come on, I want to look some more. It's not fair." Serena whined, as she tried to get in between Rae, and Lita, to see again.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Rae looked from the crack, and it's tantalizing view, to Serena. "What do you think he'll do, when he finds out you've been spying on other guys?"

Serena went back to touching her finger tips together, as her blush deepened. "I wonder if Darien can move like that?"

Rae and Lita looked back at her, as continued to poke her fingers.

Serena looked back at them. "What?"

Lita sighed, as she looked back for one finally glance. "I think we better go, before the others think something happened to us."

Rae peeked another quick look, before turning Serena around. She dragged her heels reluctantly, as Rae pushed her down the hall.

They came out of the hall and were met by staring looks.

"There you are. We were about to send a search party to find you three. We thought you might have gotten lost or something." Amara's friendly comment relaxed Lita and Rae, but Serena was still a beet red color.

Rini looked at her for a moment, before a wicked little grin came across her face. "Serena, were so doing something naughty?"

The fact that her blush deepened, didn't help Serena. She turned an even deeper shade of red, as she started to stare at her shoes. She fidgeted a bit, while everyone burst out laughing.

Lita finally took pity on her. "We found her down one of the hallways, peeking at Jordan. One word ladies. Damn!"

Morgan fell back onto the couch, laughing. "Not you too! Back home, I had to beat my friends off with sticks. It didn't help, that he used to flirt back a lot." A momentary look of sadness crossed her face, as thought of something. "I miss the old Jordan." The girls all looked at her, as she sighed, and stood up. "Come on, you should all go before Jordan has a cow."

Morgan managed to get everyone out the front door, just as Jordan came into the living room, toweling himself off. He glanced up from drying out his hair, as Morgan came around the corner.

"So, was I polite enough for you? I didn't yell at anyone, and I didn't kill anyone."

Morgan looked at him as she plopped down in her favorite chair. "Why were they here anyway?"

Jordan chuckled, as he wrapped the towel around his neck, and started for the stairs. "They wanted to ask me some questions about a tough homework problem." he started up the stairs, before stopping, and glancing back at her. "How'd they like my work out? I know at least two of them were watching."

Morgan laughed, as he started back up the stairs. "Actually, it was three of them, and Serena seemed to like it quite well."

"Heh. Well, I'm going to take a shower. If anyone else comes by, hose them down for me Nickie."

Jordan continued up the stairs as Morgan flipped the TV on. "It's Morgan!"

* * *

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Trista slowly sat down across from Jordan. She had gotten a message from Hotaru earlier, saying that Jordan wanted to talk with her. She was to meet him at the little cafe above the arcade. She wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about, but she had a pretty good idea.

Jordan nodded, as he gestured for the server. They quickly ordered a couple of drinks, then got down to business.

Jordan looked at Trista for a moment. "Why don't they remember anything about Phaeton?"

Trista remained quiet, as she thought how to phrase her answer. "The Queen did it. She thought it would be best, if no one else had memories of what happened on Phaeton. She wanted to spare you from the same treatment as what you received back then. She didn't want you to be as isolated as you were then."

Jordan laughed, the sound causing several people to look in their direction. "Please. She shouldn't have bothered. If I could bear it then, I can bear it now. And, I will bear it, because you are going to restore their memories." He raised his hand to stop her, as she tried to protest. "Hear me out first. You aren't the only who can read the time stream, and I'm not hobbled the way you are, with the Temporal Laws. I know, that something is going to happen soon. When it does, you are going to tell the Scouts the truth, and restore their memories of Phaeton. It's the only way they'll be able to survive it."

Trista remained silent a moment, as she thought over his words. "I know what you're talking about, but it's too far away to be able to determine what will happen. For all we know, it could be nothing more than ripple in the Time Stream, or an after effect from all the Time traveling that's happened recently."

"Or, it could be her. We have to be ready for anything and everything if the Scouts are going to survive this. And you had better be prepared to break the rules Trista, or they will break you. I have to go. I've got to go back to school tomorrow. I hope you make up your mind soon Trista. You aren't going to be able to hide behind your duty forever."

Jordan got up and left, paying at the counter for the two drinks. Trista remained in her seat, trying to understand what Jordan was hinting at. Who was this person that he thought was so dangerous?


	7. Chapter 6 Revelations

* * *

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 6: Revelations

By: GINSAN

"So you haven't been able to dig anything else up about Phaeton, or Soul Devourers?"

Luna shook her head at Ami's question. While the girls and Artimus had gone off the day before to talk with Jordan, Luna had tried looking through their extensive data base. So far, no luck. It looked like the files on Phaeton were gone, and those that dealt with Soul Devourers only had minimal information. Things were not looking good.

"Then we'll have to believe what Jordan told us. Even if none of us trust him." Ami glanced at her watch, and nearly screamed. "I'm going to be late! Sorry Luna, I'll come back after school, and help you look."

Ami grabbed up her school things, and dashed out the door.

Luna shook her head, as she heard the front door slam shut. "I think Serena is finally starting to rub off on her."

* * *

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late." Ami kept mumbling the words to herself, as she slipped into her seat.

As soon as she sat down, the classroom door re-opened, and Mr. Hijira entered. He placed his briefcase on his desk, and started taking attendance.

While he did, Jordan leaned over towards a rather flustered Ami, with a slightly patronizing expression on his face. "Aww, did little perfect Ami over sleep today?"

Ami looked over at him, and something inside of her snapped. Neither one of them saw it coming, as Ami's leg cocked back, and then kicked Jordan in the shin. Hard.

Jordan jumped up from his chair, and clutched at his leg, just as Mr. Hijira called his name. "Damn it! That Fucking hurt."

He was still jumping up and down, clutching his leg, when the rest of the class turned to stare at him, and the completely innocent expression on Ami's face.

Mr. Hijira fixed Jordan with a stare, that managed to make Jordan sit back down. "I'm so glad you've recovered from your recent accident Mr. Mallone, and that you're so enthusiastic about re-joining us. However, IF YOU EVER USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IN MY CLASS AGAIN, YOU'RE OUT OF HERE!"

Jordan gulped, and nodded towards Mr. Hijira. "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

Mr. Hijira continued to stare at him for a moment, before continuing the roll call.

Jordan very carefully scooted his seat away from Ami, and closer to the wall.

* * *

Lunch time found Ami, Serena, and Lita sitting under a tree in the schools courtyard. The three had eaten lunch that way for years now. Ami and Lita were eating their lunches, while Serena ate hers, and picked at theirs.

Lita laughed, as Ami told her what happened in First Period. "Ami, I'm surprised at you. I can't believe you did that. I understand why you did it though. Heck, I'd love to deck him myself."

Ami chuckled slightly. "I'm not sure what happened. All of a sudden, something snapped inside of me, and I kicked him. I felt horrible for a moment afterwards, until Mr. Hijira yelled at him. After that, I felt better."

All three laughed at that. Their laugher was short lived however, as someone approached them.

He stood at about five feet, and looked kind of cute. No one who saw him now, would ever be able to recognize him. His girlfriend Molly, had finally managed to get him to trade his thick glasses in for contacts. The difference was quite noticeable.

"Hello girls."

"Hello Melvin. What can I do for you?" Ami looked suspiciously at Melvin. "And no, I don't have anything interesting for you." He was usually looking for a piece of juicy gossip when he had that particular look on his face.

Melvin shook his head as he handed a CD case to her. "Actually, I was just going to give you this. It's all the information that I could find on Jordan. I managed to get everything you asked me for yesterday. I was up all night getting it. I had to do some serious hacking to get some of that stuff for you, so make sure not to tell anyone where you got it. Especially Jordan. I kind of like breathing."

Melvin quickly left, leaving behind three very confused girls.

Ami looked down at the disk for a moment, before glancing after the departing Melvin. "Now, I'm starting regret that kick."

* * *

"Now, lets see what Melvin dug up for us." Ami inserted the CD into her computer, while Luna watched from her lap. "It should only take a minute to read the disk."

Ami and Luna waited, while the computer read the disk. It took longer than she thought it would, and it made Ami all the more curious about what was on it. The program on the disk finally loaded, and Ami was confronted with Melvin's familiar data program.

She opened the first file in the program. "Well Luna, let's see what Jordan was like in America."

She skimmed through the information. Most of it was pretty basic stuff. His birth date and place of birth. The fact that since he was born, his family had moved close to thirty times.

His school records weren't out of the ordinary. Plenty of A's, and very few negative write ups.

Up until the last two years that is.

Almost exactly two years ago, they had moved to Los Angeles. As soon as they did, Jordan's grades became erratic and he seemed to be in his Principal's office every other day.

Almost all of these infractions, seemed to be attributed to a new group of friends.

Ami opened the next file, and was confronted with a mixture of police reports, and school records. There seemed to be four sets of records in all. One for Jordan, and for each of his three new friends.

One of them was named Fran Jacobs. The police picture that Melvin had found on her, showed a young girl with blond hair with lime green streaks through it. She had brown eyes, that seemed to scream trouble. Her face didn't help to dispel that perception. Most records labeled her as the distracter of the group. She ran interference, while the others pulled whatever prank had been decided upon.

The second set of records, was for a kid named Ronnie Mendoza. His police picture showed a skinny kid with raven black hair and eyes to match. He reminded Ami of a weasel. The little bit of information she found on him, said that he was most likely along for the ride.

The third one drew Ami's attention slightly. His name was Zackary Staziak, and his police picture showed a kid who actually looked liked he enjoyed being arrested. He had a huge grin on his face. His eyes were a dusky, emerald green color. His hair was a flat black color with the ends dyed red. He looked remarkably like Jordan, except for the black in his hair. The information on him, said he probably came up with a majority of the stunts the group pulled.

The last record was for Jordan. This picture showed a very different Jordan than the one she knew now. Happy, and out to enjoy life. He had the same smile plastered across his face as the Zack kid, and his hand was raised in a thumbs up over his arrest number. Whatever had happened to make Jordan the way he was now, had clearly happened sometime after this picture.

At the end of the file, she found a group picture. The longer she looked at it, the more she realized just how different Jordan was now.

In the middle of the picture stood Jordan. He looked like he was yelling something at the camera. He was wearing a 49ers jersey. His hair looked a little shorter than it was now, and it looked like he was wearing face paint.

To his left, stood Zack. He had his right arm around Jordan's neck, and his left arm was up in the air, covered by a large foam hand with the 49ers logo on it. The same smile from the police picture was plastered across his face.

To Jordan's right, stood Ronnie. He too had a jersey on, and a large foam hand on his right hand. He was smiling at the camera, but it gave Ami the creeps. He looked like a shark.

Lastly was Fran. She was on his back, with Jordan holding her in place. She had both arms up in the air, and both were covered with foam hands. She also had a smile on her face, though it was a lot more innocent looking than the one in the police picture.

It was definitely a very happy Jordan and company in the picture. At the bottom of it, was a small date. October 20, 1996. A little over six months before Jordan had come to Tokyo.

After shaking her head, Ami clicked on the next file. It looked like incident reports, filed on the four. Apparently, they liked causing trouble so much, that the police had classified them as their own little gang. As she read on, she could understand why.

Fran seemed to enjoy causing traffic mishaps. Either by driving dangerously, or by distracting other drivers. The descriptions of just what those distractions were, caused Ami to blush.

Ronnie seemed to be a perpetual shoplifter, and pickpocket.

Zackary, also called Zack, or Z, seemed to enjoy coming up with highly unusual and complex practical jokes.

Jordan, seemed to like police cars. So much so, that he would take them for joy rides, when he wasn't handcuffed in the backseat. He even managed to steal one from a police station once.

Individually they seemed to be bad enough but as Ami continued reading, she found the reason why the police had decided to call them a gang.

Apparently, they had literally painted the town red.

One night, they had covered the bottom story of several businesses with red paint. The police couldn't figure out who did it. Jordan and co. turned themselves in, just so they could have their pictures in the Big Book. Afterwards, they told the police, that the paint would come off, with a mixture of lemon juice, and dish washing soap. Since it worked, all the charges were dropped and the judge sentenced them to twenty days of community service anyway, as a way to teach them a lesson.

Ami finished reading the remaining incident reports in the file, and turned to Luna. "Are you sure we should be trusting a guy like this? It looks like he attracts trouble."

Luna shook her head sadly. "I'm not too thrilled about this either, Ami. Unfortunately, I don't see that we have much of a choice."

Ami nodded her agreement. "True I guess. And, I can see where Jordan wouldn't want this information made public, but is it really bad enough to scare Melvin?"

Luna shrugged her little cat shoulders. "I'm not sure. When you consider that he was afraid of Lita when she first arrived, it's not surprising."

Ami nodded her head at that and was about to close the program, when she saw that there was one more file. It seemed to have appeared just after she had read the last file. She clicked on it, and before it opened, a warning message from Melvin appeared.

'Read the next file only if don't want to live long. I'd rather I hadn't found it. No matter what, do not let Jordan find out I dug this up. I rather enjoy living.'

Curious, Ami looked at Luna. "What do you think it could be?"

"Secret plans to take over the world?" Luna's attempt to lighten the tension worked a little.

Ami chuckles slightly, as she clicked on the file. "Somehow, I don't think a trivial thing like that, would scare Melvin."

When the file finally loaded, Ami wished she hadn't. No wonder Jordan was so cynical.

It was another police file. However, this one sent shivers down Ami's back. Mixed in with the several dozen reports, were pictures from a crime scene. Some of them, had a body outline in them.

As soon as she saw them, Ami assumed the worst. That Jordan and his friends had killed someone.

It wasn't until she came the report with the earliest date, that her mind changed.

It was dated October 20, 1996. The same day as the group photo. The fact that Jordan was listed as a victim, started her thinking that the group had gotten into something over their heads.

Her opinion changed though, when she noticed that Zack was also listed as victim. And, that Ronnie was listed as the perpetrator.

The longer she read it, the more she started to understand Jordan's cynicism. Even though most of the reports were censored, she managed to get the general gist of what had taken place.

Apparently, Jordan's family was about to leave. Ronnie, realizing that his cash flow was about to be seriously crippled, had pulled a gun on Jordan. He tried to force him to empty out his savings account. When Jordan had refused, and called him on his bluff, Ronnie had panicked. He shot Jordan, and then Zack, as he tried to get the gun away. Zack had been killed instantly, and Jordan had nearly met the same fate. 

After staring at the screen for several minutes, Ami closed the file and looked at Luna. "I think, that I can over look a little cynicism from Jordan." Her eyes were misted over slightly, as she continued to look at Luna. "What are we going to do?"

Luna looked back at her, completely at a loss. "I don't know. I figured that Jordan was just a bad apple, but now, I'm not so sure. I need some time to think about this."

Ami nodded, as took the CD from the computer, and placed it in its case. She then gently placed Luna on the floor and stood up. She started pacing around her room, as Luna watched her.

After almost half an hour, she stopped, and faced Luna. "I'm going to talk to Jordan about this. I have a feeling there's more to this, and that Jordan needs someone to talk to about it."

Luna gave her a critical look. "Are you sure that's wise? You could make matter worse."

Ami nodded. "I know that, but I have to chance it. Jordan's attitude isn't natural, and I'm quite sure that it isn't healthy for him either."

Luna finally nodded her consent after several minutes of deep thinking. "All right, I'll let you do it. But when?"

"I've already thought of that. Jordan eats his lunch up on the roof. It's the one rumor about him that Melvin isn't afraid of telling."

* * *

Classes during the day passed by quickly for Ami. Jordan avoided even looking in her direction during First Period, and it only served to deepen her sense of guilt. Ever since reading the information on that disk, she had felt guilty about kicking him yesterday morning.

Lunch time came, and Ami made her way to the roof. It wasn't far since Senior classes were mostly on the top floor.

As she came out of the stairwell, she couldn't see him at first. After a few minutes of searching though, she found him sitting in a corner of roof, seemingly staring off into space. She walked towards him, and halted a few feet away. He didn't turn to look at her, so she thought he hadn't noticed her yet.

She was about to say something, when he interrupted her.

"What? You come all the way up here, so you can kick me again? Maybe this time, you'll hit me instead?"

The sarcasm in his voice was enough, that Ami found herself actually wanting to hit him. She stopped herself though, and sat down across from Jordan. She kept looking at him, until he finally looked at her.

"Well?"

Ami decided to take this slow. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't know why I kicked you. I'm sorry."

Jordan looked at her for a few a moment, before shrugging his shoulders and going back to looking at the passing clouds. "Forget about it. Now what's the real reason you're up here?"

Ami thought hard for a moment, as she tried to come up with the right words. "Jordan. What happened to you in Los Angeles?"

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say.

"What business is it to you, about what happened in L.A.?" He turned back to look at her, his face set in an extremely foul looking scowl. "What happened there, is none of your business, and you'd be better off not asking about it again."

Ami was very taken a back by this, even though she knew he would probably react this way. "I'm sorry. I just thought you might want to talk to someone about it."

Jordan laughed, but it didn't exactly sound happy. "And why the Hell would I want to do that? And how the Hell do you know anything about it anyway?"

Ami glanced at Jordan, before quickly looking away. "A, friend. I asked him to look up some information on you."

This time, Jordan really was mad. "And what gives you the right to do such a thing? My life, is my life. Not some little book that you can check out and read when the feeling hits you. Stay out of my personal life."

Jordan wrapped up his untouched lunch, and stood up. As he began walking towards the stairs, Ami saw her chance slipping away.

Desperate to keep him there and talking, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Tell me about Zack?"

Jordan stopped dead in his tracks. He remained facing away from her, for several minutes, before slowly turning around to face her.

"How do you know about Z?" The expression on his face almost made Ami wish she hadn't asked.

Ami gulped, as she look up at him. "I-I-I told you. A f-f-friend got the information for me."

Jordan continued staring down at her for a moment, before walking back over to his corner, and sitting down.

He was looking down at the ground, when he started speaking. "I take it, that you noticed the fact that we moved around a lot? I had lots of friends, all of which I hated to leave when we finally moved on to somewhere else. We moved to L.A. about two years ago. We were there for almost a week, when I met Z."

A ghost of a smile came to Jordan's face, as a long buried memory surfaced in his mind. He'd tried so hard, to forget everything that had happened then. It still hurt to think about it, but for some reason, he felt that he could talk to Ami about it. At least a little.

He was about to continue, when he heard something. He look at a slightly embarrassed Ami, and shook his head.

Ami glanced at him sheepishly, as the sounds came again. "Sorry. I was in a hurry to get to school today, and I forgot to get my lunch."

Jordan shook his head, and handed her his lunch. "Go ahead. I wasn't hungry today anyway. Someone should eat it."

Ami gratefully took the lunch, and opened it. Inside was a canned soda, a bag of potato chips, and a sandwich of some kind. She looked at the sandwich curiously.

"It's Peanut Butter, Banana Fluff." At the confused look she gave him, he smiled slightly. "Fluff is a type of marshmallow. I use it for a lot of deserts."

He waited for her to start eating, before continuing his story. "I met Z the first day of classes. He was sitting in the back of the class, as far from the teacher as it was possible to be and still be in the room. All during class, he pretty much ignored the teacher, and the teacher ignored him. At first, I figured he was just a problem kid, and the teacher left him alone to avoid trouble during class. Halfway through class though, the teacher asked a question. No one in the class had the answer, and since I was the new kid, I decided not to risk making everyone mad at me, by answering it.

"Then the teacher asked Z to answer it. Until then, I had thought he was asleep. He called out the answer without even looking up from the desk. The teacher then gave this lecture to the class that I tuned out. After class I walked up to Z. We hit it off instantly."

Jordan paused, as he thought over what had happened after school on that long forgotten day. Ami quietly ate the sandwich, and started on the chips.

He continued by telling her what they did for fun, and a few of the places they hanged out at. When he got to the part where they met Ronnie and Fran, he choked.

He was quiet for so long that Ami was starting to get worried. Finally though, he stood up and gestured for her to do the same.

"The bell's going to ring soon. I tell you what. Come over to my house as soon as you can after school. I'll give you a tour."

Jordan left, grabbing the remains of the lunch as he did. Ami watched him as he went down the stairs and out of sight. A slight smile came to her face, as she realized that she had actually managed to do what she had set out to.

* * *

"I did it Luna. I got Jordan to talk. Not quite what I wanted him to talk about, but it's a start." Ami was walking towards Jordan's house, with Luna sitting on her shoulder. "He actually invited me to come over after school. Since I don't have classes today, I'm going straight over. Can you tell the girls where I am for me?"

Luna looked at Ami skeptically, before jumping to the ground. "Just don't let Jordan get you into trouble."

"I won't." Ami watched Luna disappear around a corner, before continuing on to Jordan's house.

As she walked, she was completely oblivious to the shadow that followed her.

Ami stood at the front door to Jordan's house. She admired the house for a few more moments, before pressing the button for the doorbell. It took a few minutes, but Jordan finally opened the door.

He looked at her for a second, before stepping aside and letting her in. "Didn't think you'd be here until later. Oh well. Come in and have a seat on the couch. I'll be with you in a second."

Jordan led her into the Living Room before disappearing down a hallway. Ami looked around the Living Room. The last time she had been here, she hadn't focused on the house. She had been too focused on what Jordan had told them then.

Jordan came back carrying a large scrap book.

He set it down on the coffee table in front of Ami. "You want something to snack on? I can whip up just about anything you want."

Ami looked at him a little sheepishly. "Could you make another of those Peanut Butter, Banana Fluff things?"

A faint smile came to his face. "Sure."

Jordan disappeared down another hallway. After he did, Ami looked down at the scrap book. It looked like it was well used. She opened the cover and flipped through the pages. It was full of pictures of little kids. Each one was different, and the further she went the older they got.

"They're all the kids I made friends with."

Ami jumped, and slapped the book close. Jordan was looking at her and seemed to be trying not to laugh. He handed her a plate. She took it and tried not to look up at him.

A slight blush crept across her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Jordan shook his head as he sat down on the couch next to her. "I put it out so you could look at it. There's a bunch of pictures of Z in the back."

He took a bite from his sandwich, then flipped towards the back of the book. He had to flip a few more pages before he found the right spot.

"This is a pic of Z from the first week that I knew him. Morgan took the picture."

The picture showed Z in a school uniform of some kind, and a can of white paint in one hand as well as a paint brush in the other. Just behind him was a sign that said 'Walk on the Grass'. It had an obvious spot at the top that was painted white. Jordan stood nearby, holding a black can of paint and a paint brush. The next picture had the word 'Please' painted into the white spot.

"Amazingly, we never got caught." He flipped a couple of pages, until he came to another of Z. "This one is from the Sadie Hawkins dance. This is when we met Fran for the first time."

The picture showed Z dressed up like a cowboy. Standing next to him was Fran. She was dressed up as a Cowgirl and had a lasso around Z. Jordan was in the background laughing his head off.

"I was lucky enough not to get asked. I managed to have the whole night off to take pictures of Z." He showed her more pictures from the dance. Some of them with a happy Z, and some with one where he had a 'Shoot me now' expression. "Unfortunately, Fran got me the next year."

He showed her another page with pictures of him in the same positions that Z had been in. Only this time, Jordan seemed to be enjoying himself more often than he had the 'Shoot me' expression. Ami found herself laughing at a particularly compromising picture. Jordan was hogtied, and Fran was standing on his back holding a branding iron.

"Lucky for me, it was plastic."

After that particular picture though, he closed the scrap book and set it aside. "I think that's enough pictures for now." He stood up and gestured for her to do the same. "I promised you a tour, so I might as well get to it."

He gestured around the room as Ami stood up. "Obviously this is the living room." He pointed to the two hallways that lead away from the room. "The hallway to the left leads to the back of the house. It's mostly used by the maid, since her building is behind the house. There are also a couple of storage rooms and a bathroom down there. The hallway over on the far right leads to the kitchen, the Den, and the Game Room." He started down the right hallway.

They stopped at the kitchen and all Ami could do was stare. It was huge. Lita would probably die and go straight to Heaven if she ever saw the place. There was a huge silver refrigerator to the left, and a large stove right next to it. There was a triple sink along the right wall. In the middle of the kitchen was a large table. The rest of the space was filled with cabinets and shelves.

"Wow. This place is huge."

"I know. I had it designed this way. Makes cooking a lot easier. Come on, I'll show you the back rooms."

Jordan let the kitchen and continued down the hallway.

He stopped at a closed door. "This is Dad's Den. When he's not at the office working he's in there working." He continued down the Hallway to the last door. "This is the Game Room. Morgan designed it. She's the one who usually uses it."

They entered the room and Ami looked around. "I can see why Serena would want to see this place. You mind if I come over here sometime? There's more stuff in here than there is in Andrew's Crown Arcade."

Jordan shrugged. "If you want. Just tell Morgan. She'll let you in if I'm not home." He lead her back up the hallway and stopped just short of the kitchen. "This is one of the doors that leads to the courtyard." He opened the sliding mirror door and lead her inside. "I think the original owners of the place used this as a Zen rock garden. Personally I think it makes a great workout area." He pointed out the various equipment that was stored away on the corners. "Now, It's time for the second floor."

Jordan lead her through another door and back to the living room. Once there, he lead her up the stairs and to the second story of the mansion.

He pointed to the door just to the left of the landing that was covered by a Vegeta poster. "That, would be Morgan's room. I try to avoid going in there if I can." They walked down the hall paused in front of another door. "This is a Guest room. There's another one right next to it."

They turned the corner and continued down the hall, past the second Guest room and stopped at another door. "This would be my parent's bedroom. Of course, the only one who actually sleeps in there is Mom." They turned the corner and walked to the end of the hall. "This is the library." Jordan opened the large door and gestured for Ami to go in.

At first, Ami thought she had walked into an actual Library. There were rows and rows of books. Jordan stayed by the door, but let her walk around looking at the shelves.

After about twenty minutes though, he went after her. "You can come back and look at all the pretty books later. For now, I think we should finish the tour."

He led her out of the Library and all the way back to the stairs. "No one but my sister has been up here."

He lead her up the stairs and down a relatively short hallway. There was only one other door and Jordan explained to her that it was just a storage room for junk.

He finally showed her the door to his room. "This is it. My room is in there and it's off limits to everyone."

He lead her back to the stairs. Along the way, Ami thought of something. "What about the rest of this floor?"

Jordan shrugged. "Wasted space I guess. There aren't any more rooms up here."

They went down the stairs and stopped at the second story landing.

Jordan gestured down the hallway. "If you want you can go back to the library. Considering how late it is you might as well stay for dinner. Would you care for anything in particular?"

Ami shook her head. "Sorry, but I really should get home. Actually, I think I stayed here longer than I thought I would."

Jordan shrugged. "Alright. I'll bring an extra sandwich for you tomorrow if you meet me up on the roof."

Ami nodded her head. "Deal."

Jordan lead her down the stairs, and to the front door. "If you want, I can give you a ride home."

Ami shook her head as she headed out the door with her things. "No thank you. I'll walk. My Apartment isn't that far from here."

"Suit yourself."

Jordan closed the door behind her and headed for the kitchen. The only thing on his mind now, was what to cook for dinner.


	8. Chapter 7 Floran The Viper

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 7: Floran the Viper

By: GINSAN

Ami walked down the empty sidewalk, absently thinking about her visit with Jordan.

The lights on the lamp posts had just flickered on and were casting shadows everywhere. She didn't even notice when one of those shadows started following her.

She did notice, however, when the shadow jumped out in front of her.

"What?"

Standing before Ami, was what was obviously a Soul Devourer. Nothing else in creation could be that distorted.

It was just about Ami's height and looked like a deformed bush. Unfortunately though, most bushes didn't have hissing snake heads for leaves.

Almost every leaf was actually a small snake head. Venom oozed from their mouths, and Ami watched as a small drop started to dissolve the sidewalk. The heads were a dark green color with little black splotches. The bush thing started hissing at her before it began to unfold.

Slowly, a head, arms, and legs formed out of the round bush shape. The head looked like a large snake head, but it had leaves for scales. The arms were long, and flexible, with claws at the ends. The legs were nothing more than coils of the little snake head leaves.

Reacting purely on instinct, Ami dodged to the left as one of the arms launched at where she had been standing.

Before it could attack her again, Ami ducked behind a convenient bush and drew her Transformation Pen. She held it up over her head as she called out its activation phrase.

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

A swirl of blue and golden light surrounded her to fade away a few moments later to reveal her as Sailor Mercury.

She took up a defensive stance before the monster as it slowly started to circle her. "Stop right there monster."

The Soul Devourer gave a laughing hiss and its head twisted into a smile. It continued to circle her, though it no longer tried to attack her.

Sailor Mercury remembered what Jordan had said about Devourers being weaker when they first show up and she didn't recall hearing about this one before. She quickly activated her visor and looked for a weak spot. At the same time, she sent out a general alert to the others. With luck, she could handle this Devourer by herself, or at least hold it off until the others could show up. If not... She didn't want to think about what would happen if she couldn't handle it.

Her visor finished scanning it, but the results did not encourage her. As far as the scan could read, it didn't have a weakness. That in itself made no sense to her. Everything had a weakness.

While she was distracted by her scan, the Devourer struck.

Before Sailor Mercury could defend herself, the Soul Devourer launched itself at her and wrapped its arms around her. The force of the attack knocked her to the ground as it slowly started to constrict around her.

Mercury cried out in pain, frantically trying to think of a way out of this. As the thing continued to tighten around her all she could think about was how incredibly strong it was.

After a few minutes, she couldn't breath anymore and she could swear that she heard her ribs starting to crack. She slowly started to sink into unconsciousness. All she could think about now, was that if help didn't arrive right now it would be too late.

The Soul Devourer suddenly screamed out in pain, and Mercury found herself free as the arms from the Devourer twitched on the ground around her. It took her a moment to clear her foggy brain, and realize why they were on the ground. They had been cut off. Readily apparent by the smoke still rising from the twitching limbs.

As she slowly sat up, fighting off a wave of nausea, she felt someone walk up behind her. "Are you all right?"

She looked back to see Phaeton standing behind her. He held his energy sword in his right hand and was keeping his gaze on the injured Soul Devourer. His helmet kept her from seeing his expression. Though from the position of his body, she could tell that he wasn't very happy.

Mercury slowly nodded her head yes. "I-I think so. I'll be fine in a minute."

Phaeton walked past her and towards the Devourer. "Good. Stay back. this could get... messy"

He stepped in front of the Devourer, who had apparently gotten over the shock of loosing both its arms.

"I hope you're ready to go back to the Void." Phaeton had his sword pointed at the creature.

The Soul Devourer started to shake violently as both Mercury and Phaeton looked on. It suddenly screamed out, as two new arms sprang from it in a mass of leaves and greenish-black liquid.

Phaeton barely had time to dismiss his sword and raise his energy shield, as the Devourer spit something at him. It impacted the shield harmlessly, but as soon as it touched the ground the grass began to wither and die. Within a few seconds even the dirt beneath the grass began to dissolve.

"Nice trick." Phaeton looked at the Devourer as it hunched down, obviously getting ready for another attack. "Don't think so. Not gonna let you do that again."

Phaeton launched himself at the monster hitting it in the head with one of his gauntleted fists. Mercury could hear the impact from where she still sat on the ground. The Devourer flew into the trunk of a nearby tree and slumped to the ground. It wasn't down long though.

From the ground, it launched itself at Phaeton only to run into his shield. The shield crackled and the Soul Devourer cried out in pain as arcs of energy began to race across it's body.

As soon as it slumped to the ground, Phaeton rammed his fist into its chest causing it to scream out in pain. The scream died quickly though as the Devourer dissolved into glittering dust.

"What the hell?"

Phaeton remained bent over, examining the ground and searching through the few remains of the Soul Devourer.

Confused, Mercury walked up next to him. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her, gesturing to the pile of dust. "I can't find the damn Soul Gem."

As he continued to search, the Sailor Scouts finally showed up. They all took up their dramatic poses and Sailor Moon was about to say something when Phaeton interrupted her.

"You're too late. The fights over."

A dejected Sailor Moon lowered arm and started to pout. "I didn't get to say it."

Sailor Mini-Moon patted her on the back and tried to sound consoling.

Phaeton had had enough as he stood up. "Knock it off already, Damn it. I can't think with all that idiotic dribble. Something is very wrong with this attack, and I'm not talking about the fact that Mercury would be dead right now if I hadn't shown up." Everybody shut up as Phaeton looked back at the little pile of dust one last time. "What ever it was that attacked, it wasn't a true Soul Devourer. There's no Soul Gem."

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes before Serena piped up. "So what exactly does that mean?"

Phaeton looked at her. "That this was just a copy. Maybe even a puppet. The real Devourer is still out there somewhere. And probably laughing its head off." He pointed to the assembled group as he let himself change back to normal. "You all might as well go home now."

The Scouts changed back and they began to drift off, going back home. Some seeming to be more disappointed than others about missing the fight.

As Ami was about to leave, when Jordan grabbed her arm to make her stay. "I'm walking you home. You've been marked now and you are in as much danger as my sister is. It's not a good idea for you to walk home alone right now."

Ami thought it over for a minute, before nodding her head in agreement. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to walk home alone.

They left the battle scene and Jordan followed behind Ami. The walk was remarkably quiet, since Jordan didn't seem to want to talk much. And every time she glanced back at him, he was looking off in some other direction. Seemingly searching the shadows for possible enemies.

His behavior had her baffled. He wasn't quite acting like a jerk any more. And earlier in the day, he had seemed almost civil. Now, he was quiet and seemed to be holding himself aloof. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he did something that totally altered her theory. And it didn't help that she still knew next to nothing about him, and that she had no memories of what he was like in the old days.

That thought brought up a question that she decided to ask him. However, when she turned around to do so, all she could do was stare.

Jordan was still following her, but he was no longer looking at shadows. Instead, it looked like he was having an argument with his amulet. He was holding it up in his right hand, and seemed to be cursing at it. He really did look as though he was arguing, since afterwards he paused a moment before yelling out loud.

"Mind your own business old man, or we'll see how talkative you are when I toss you into the Marianas Trench."

At this, she just couldn't stay quiet anymore. "Um, Jordan? Who are you talking to?"

He looked up at her, and realized what she had been watching him. And that he had been rather loud with his last comment.

He quickly put the amulet away, and tried to smile reassuringly at her. "No one. Just a pest that won't leave me alone." Quickly trying to change subjects, he looked around at where they were. "So, are we almost to your place?"

Even though she knew what he was doing, she decided to drop it. No sense destroying what little progress she had made with him so far, by prying into something he obviously didn't want to discuss. "Almost. About another block." She started walking again, before stopping, and turning back to him. "Thank you for coming and saving me."

Jordan shrugged and went back to looking at passing shadows. "Don't worry about it. Just consider it thanks for you saving me."

Ami nodded her head, not quite knowing what to say to that.

They finally arrived at Ami's apartment complex and Jordan looked the place over.

Ami started walking towards the front door when she noticed that Jordan had stopped. "Do you want to come in?"

Jordan shook his head. "No. You're safe now. There are too many people around for a Soul Devourer to try and come after you. It might be a good idea though to have someone take you to school in the morning. At least until I can track down the real Devourer that wants you. I could swing by if you wanted."

Ami shook her head. "No thanks. I'll call Amara, and Michelle and ask them for a ride in the morning."

Jordan shrugged her shoulders, and before she could say anything else, Jordan walked off and around the corner of the building. She didn't know why but she felt slightly hurt by the abrupt way he had left. Then again, she didn't know why she expected him to be nice all the time.

* * *

"No Serena. Other than a few sore ribs I'm fine."

Ami had been on and off the phone for the last few hours, trying to tell people that she was indeed all right and that there was no permanent harm. Luckily, Serena was the last one to call and Ami could finally go to bed after talking to her. So far though, Serena was being dense as usual.

"Are you absolutely sure? You looked really trashed when we showed up."

Ami sighed and took a deep, calming breath before answering her. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure that I'm fine. If you ask again, I'm going to hang up on you."

She could hear Serena whine and say something she couldn't make out. "I won't ask again." A pause, as tried to think something up that could eventually lead back to how Ami was feeling. "So. What was Jordan's house like?"

Ami shook her head as she answered her. "It was big." Everyone else had asked the same question and she was tired of answering it as well.

"Just big?" Serena sounded disappointed.

"Just big. I have to go Serena. It's late and I need to get some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow at school. Good Night."

She waited just long enough to hear a mumbled good bye from Serena, before hanging up the phone.

"Finally. Now, where'd I leave that book?"

Ami found her book and crawled into bed. She read for about half an hour. Just long enough that she was too sleepy to read anymore. She set the book down, careful to mark her place, and tucked herself under her blanket. She reached out and turned off the small table lamp next to her bed as she rolled over and got comfy. She was asleep by the time her eyes closed.

* * *

Ami knew she was dreaming. It was obvious from the fact that her surroundings were destroyed over a millennia ago. At the same time, she also knew that this was a long dormant memory.

She was standing in a section of the Moon Palace. One that she could remember well. It was one of the Ambassador Wings, where the visiting members of the Royal Families stayed, or those Ambassadors sent in their places.

She found herself walking down the large hallway, smiling and nodding to various people that she could no longer remember. A brief glance in a mirror showed that this memory was older than she thought.

The image was that of a very young girl, probably no more than four or five.

As far as she knew, this was the first time she had recovered a memory this old. And if the others had ever had one, they had never said anything.

The young Ami continued down the hallway, finally stopping at a set of rooms. The symbol above the door was unfamiliar to Ami until another, smaller memory was drudged up. It was the symbol for the planet Phaeton. This set of rooms obviously was reserved for the Phaeton Royalty then.

She peeked in the open door, to see servants and Noblemen running around all over the room. Many of the servants were gathered around various Noble ladies, that looked to have fainted.

She snuck into the room as she heard some one screaming their head off in a side room. She made her way to the room and noticed that it was the one for the children of which ever set of Ambassadors was visiting at the time.

She didn't know which set it was, since her parents had dragged her to the Moon Palace without any warning. When they had arrived, she had been told to go and find the other Princesses and to stay with them until they were summoned. Since that was the case, she hoped that the Prince of Phaeton might be the one currently using the room.

As she peeked in, she saw that she was indeed correct, but that his four cousins were also in the room. A quick look also revealed that the four girls were unconscious, with very worried doctors looking over them. At the back of the room, the young Prince was in a corner. Yelling and screaming at the servants and doctors who were trying to attend him, or anyone in general who got too close.

One of the doctors noticed her, and rushed up to her. "Princess Amira! Am I glad you're here. Maybe you can do something about the Prince."

The curious Princess looked up at the doctor, grateful that she wasn't in trouble for sneaking in. "What happened?"

The Doctor shook his head and sighed in frustration. "We don't know. The five of them were playing some game or another, and suddenly the girls collapsed into some type of trance, and Jorowyn started screaming. Several of the other Nobility have passed out or are complaining of migraines. We've managed to stabilize the Princess's, but Jorowyn won't let anyone near him. Could you try to calm him down a little? We need to see if he's alright."

Princess Amira slowly nodded her head as thought over his words. "I'll do my best, but I don't know what I can do. I don't really know him that well. He usually stays on Phaeton. He's rarely around the Palace."

The Doctor nodded encouragingly at her as she slowly approached the Prince. "Jorowyn? Jorowyn, it's Princess Amira. Can you hear me?"

The slightly older boy looked up at the sound of her voice, but he continued to sob to himself and tried to squeeze even further into the corner. Even going so far, as to try and claw at the walls a bit.

"Come on Jorowyn, what's wrong? What's happened? The Doctors need to check on you, but they can't if you won't let them. Can you at least tell me?"

The tear streaked face of Jorowyn looked from her, to the Doctors as he paused in his scratching. After a few minutes of quiet sobbing, he nodded that the Doctors could come closer.

Amira carefully took one of his hands to get his attention, so the doctors could work. "Come on Jorowyn. What happened? Why are you crying to much?"

Jorowyn sobbed, and looked at her with slightly haunted eyes. Hollow eyes that didn't belong on a child of only eight years.

When he finally answered her, it was barely more than a croak filled with deep sorrow. "He's gone. They're all gone."

This startling reply stopped the Doctors momentarily, and made Ami even more confused. Even a bit afraid. "Who's gone Jorowyn? And what happened to them?"

He gulped, and swallowed back a few tears. His sobs slowly stopping as he responded. "Father." At that, the Doctor's became very nervous. "Father's gone. And so is the Palace." As he continued talking, his eyes glazed over slightly and he looked off into space. "It all blew up. A big explosion. It's all gone. And so is Aunt Sherie, and Aunt Trina, and ..."

As he continued on, the Doctors exchanged quick glances before the original doctor turned to Amira. "Princess? I think you should go find your friends. I'll let you know how Jorowyn is later. I think he needs some rest while we sort this all out."

Taking the hint, and looking for an excuse to leave, she quickly left the room. In fact, she all but fled the hall altogether, hoping to find her friends, and that they knew what was going on. Hoping to find someone who could tell her why little Jorowyn looked like someone had died.

* * *

Ami awoke with a start, not sure where she was for a moment. She quickly noticed the familiar walls of her room and sighed with relief. She'd never had a memory dream that was quite so disorienting before. Or clear.

She quickly got up, and started getting ready for school. She'd have to talk to Luna bout that dream the next time she got a chance.

She finished getting ready for school and headed out. She left the apartment complex and was halfway to school, before she remembered that she was supposed to have gotten a ride today. It was very nearly, the last mistake she ever made.

* * *

"Darn. I forgot to call Amara and Michelle for a ride this morning." Ami realized her slip up as she passed by a small park on the way to school. "Between the phone calls last night and the dream, it totally slipped my mind." She continued on though, oblivious to the fact that park was eerily empty. "Oh well. I'm almost there, and nothings happened. I'll be fine."

As she continued walking, several shadows separated themselves from the nearby park. Without warning, a huge vine whipped out from one and quickly wrapped itself around Ami, pulling her deeper into the park. She managed a strangled scream, before the tentacle wrapped around her mouth, preventing any further sounds.

She was quickly dragged into a small clearing, surrounded by large shrubs which effectively cut her off from the site of anyone who might happen to pass by. Her eyes widened in horror as she was confronted by her captor.

It stood about seven feet tall. It had a humanoid look to it, though it was clearly not human. It's arms were green vines, one of which currently held Ami. Her legs had a jagged, plate-like look from large leaves that ran up her legs. Her body was covered in a mix of greenish-black scales and similarly colored, sharp looking leaves. Her shoulders had sharp spines ticking out in a myriad assortment of sizes, and angles. Her head looked much like that of the Devourer from Last night, only much more human. It had actual ears, made from leaves, and which were themselves tipped by small spines. From it's back, sprouted two large pods which Ami could only begin to speculate about.

The creature drew her closer, until they were face to face. "Greetings oh great champion of justice."

Ami couldn't miss the fact that the thing's voice was just dripping with sarcasm, nor that it's breath was oddly pleasant. Almost like cherry blossom's, but with an undercurrent of something else. Something slightly intoxicating. Ami felt herself getting sleepy, and the Devourer started to spin before her eyes.

"Don't worry little one. I, Floran, Greatest warrior of the Void, shall claim your Soul Gem. But not just yet. No. I still need you as bait. For now, you will sleep until I can set my trap."

Ami's head slumped, as she finally succumbed to the effects of Floran's breath.

* * *

Lita and Serena were sitting in their usual spot under the large oak tree in the school's courtyard. They were chatting together about one of their teachers when a large shadow loomed over them. They stopped abruptly to see what this intrusion was.

"Have you two seen Ami?" Jordan stood over the two, a slightly angry look on his face. "She wasn't in First Period, and I've been up on the roof waiting on her for twenty minutes."

Serena and Lita exchanged a quick look, before looking back at Jordan.

Lita spoke up first. "I haven't heard from her since I spoke with her over the phone last night."

Serena nodded her head in agreement with Lita. "Same here. I haven't talked to her since she hung up on me. And she was supposed to talk to me about something."

Jordan was silent for a moment. "Do you know who was supposed to bring her to school today?"

Lita and Serena shrugged their shoulders.

Jordan was starting to look really agitated now as he bent down next to them. "Then I want you to contact everybody and find out if they know."

The expression on his face decided them. Something was really wrong if Jordan was upset about something. Upset, and actually asking them for help.

Several minutes of talking on their communicators turned up zilch. That changed however, as they managed to finally contact Michelle.

"I think I saw her walking to school this morning when I was taking Hotaru over to Rini's. Why?"

"Damn it!" Jordan's abrupt exclamation caused both girls to jump and Michelle to start asking what was going on. "She was supposed to get a ride this morning. I knew something was going to happen."

Before anyone could do anything, Jordan was gone. Not gone, as in running off. Just gone. One second he was there and the next, he had vanished into thin air.

"Lita, I think something really bad has happened to Ami."

"No kidding." Serena looked from the blank spot where Jordan had been standing, then down to her wrist communicator. "Michelle, I think we have a problem. Contact everybody and tell them that Ami's missing."

* * *

Several hours later, the girls still hadn't managed to find any trace of Ami. Everyone had gathered at Rae's temple, trying to figure out what happened.

"Her Mom hasn't seen her all day. Not since she left for school this morning anyway." Lita sighed wearily, as she relayed the news. "The guy in the lobby said she looked fine when she left, and it looked like she was taking the straight path to school."

The others all sighed dejectedly. They'd been searching for Ami all day and they had even skipped the rest of their classes to look for her. With no luck.

"I don't know where else we could look. I stopped by the Arcade, and Andrew said he hasn't seen her." Rae was even starting to sound frazzled, instead of her normal, calm self. "Any ideas?"

"Yah, we start by tracking her."

Everyone turned at the sound of Jordan's voice, as he entered the overly crowded room. He dropped a pile of Ami's school books on the small table in the middle of the room.

"I found these in a park, between her apartment and the school." His nose scrunched up as he looked at the books. "And they reek of Soul Devourer. This is the exact reason why I told her to get a ride with someone."

Everyone looked up at his furious expression, and none of them could think of what to do next.

Luckily, Jordan had already solved that problem. "I also found this." He held up Ami's little mini-computer. "You should be able to program it to track the signal from her communicator."

He handed the computer to Serena, who opened it and set it in front of Luna. The little black cat started typing away on it, working as fast as she could.

Serena looked up at Jordan. "So why didn't you program it to do that?"

Jordan scowled down at her, before mutter something under his breath.

"What was that?" Amara who was sitting right next to him, and heard what he had said couldn't help herself.

"I said, because I don't know the password. She's changed it from what it was back in the Moon Kingdom." He gave Amara a disgusted look as he turned back to the diligent Luna. "We don't have time to play around. Have you located her yet Luna?"

The industrious black cat looked up at him and nodded her head. "Just finished. It looks like she's in the old garden center, across town. Maybe we should..."

Jordan abruptly disappeared again, before she could finish her sentence.

"...all go together. Great. Well, I suggest that the rest of you get over there as quickly as we possible."

Everyone nodded their agreement, and headed for the garden center. It wasn't that far if they took a few shortcuts.


	9. Chapter 8 Floran's Trap

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 8: Floran's Trap

By: Ginsan

Jordan was not having a very good day. His already normally foul mood was becoming worse by the minute. Everywhere he looked, there was some kind of plant type Soul Devourer waiting to attack.

"Damn things are too damn smart." He swore softly, as he peeked out from his hiding place.

The fact that it was a rosebush wasn't helping. A prickly rosebush, that was stabbing him in very unpleasant places.

"Now I know why they took Ami. Bait for this little trap. But a trap for who?" He continued to mark positions of Devourers while his mind quickly tried to come up with some sort of a plan.

If he had known there were this many Devourers here, he would have re-thought coming on his own. As it was, he hadn't sensed them until he had almost tripped over one. It had all been down hill from there.

"Thirty two. Thirty two damn plants that stand between me and whatever the Hell is waiting inside. Great. Bet there's a bunch of those damn bull things in there."

The longer he thought about this situation, the less it made sense. Soul Devourers were not supposed to be intelligent. Yes, they could adapt themselves to new situations, but so could a blind dog if it wanted to. The fact that these things had set a trap was disturbing to him. Not even his memories from the past could come up with an explanation.

Something had happened to change the Soul Devourers, and Jordan just plain didn't like it.

"Guess I should quit pussy-footing around."

His best bet would be to send an attack from one side, and then come in from the other while they were distracted. It would fool the dumber ones, but he had a feeling that even with his distraction it would still be difficult to get in.

"Maybe if I had a bigger distraction? One that would last a while."

For some reason, Serenity above gave it to him.

Right before Jordan's eyes, the Sailor Scouts came running by and right up to the large building. He couldn't have planned things better if he tried.

Several harmless looking plants erupted from the ground at their approach, and all manner of bizarre plant and animal mixes surrounded the Scouts.

The Scouts quickly locked together in a circle formation, realizing that they probably should have had a plan first.

"Um, I hate to be critical guys, but I think we're in trouble." Lita's rather obvious comment made Jordan smirk from his hidden location.

Now all he had to do was wait for them to start attacking, and then he could deal with most of the Devourers. With luck, the three real Scouts they had brought with them could deal with the stragglers.

He didn't have to wait long.

A nasty looking fish/plant creature, dripping a foul smelling ooze as it walked, launched itself at the Scouts. It was followed quickly by several other creatures. While they were still in the air, Jordan struck.

He phased right into his Phaeton form, and launched himself from the rosebush. His hands clapped together, as he muttered out an attack.

"Solar Desolation!"

A shockwave of white and black light launched from his hands, and slammed into the Soul Devourers just as they were about to strike the Scouts. They were all incinerated almost instantly.

"Someone grab their Soul Gems, quickly!"

He jumped back, just in time to avoid a spray of an acid looking liquid that a rather grotesque Devourer had spewed at him. Before the thing could launch another attack, Phaeton's energy blade had sliced it in half. It was still trying to attack, as it's body dissolved into dust.

"May not be as hard as I... Ougf!"

He was slammed from behind by what looked like an elephant/plant Devourer. The thing was massive. Phaeton had just enough time to roll to the side, before a rather large foot stomped down where his head had been. A quick look, revealed a bear/plant Devourer that was just as large as the elephant one.

"I dub thee Ugly number One, and Ugly number Two. You can fight out which is which."

Phaeton rolled again, as another foot tried to crush his head. This time though, the foot met with an energy sword which severed it at the ankle and sent the whole beast toppling to the ground.

"The bigger they are..."

He was grabbed from behind, and slammed into a tree trunk.

As he slid to the ground, he could make out that the elephant had been the one to throw him.

"The more they can hurt you." Phaeton groaned as he struggled to his feet.

He faced off against the elephant, while the bear stood back up. A quick glance revealed that it had grown it's foot back.

"All right. Try this one."

Phaeton stuck his arms straight out to his sides and then slowly raised them into the air.

"Hell"

He rotated them in a small circle above his head, before dropping them to stick straight out in front of himself.

"Rising!"

Two large waves of what looked to be liquid fire, came from behind him and merged into one large wave in front of him before slamming into both of the large Devourers.

They screamed out in pain, as their bodies began to go up in flames. If a few short seconds, there was nothing left of them but a shimmering pile of dust and two Soul Gems.

Phaeton quickly grabbed them, as well as the one from the Devourer he had sliced in half as he ran for the building.

A quick glance at the Scouts, showed that he had been right about the three Outer Scouts with them. They were racking up kill counts left and right, while the other Scouts stayed out of the way, and snagged Soul gems. Situation under control.

Phaeton quickly made his way into the seemingly deserted building. He just couldn't wait to find out what goodies were in store from him inside.

* * *

"What the bloody Hell?"

Phaeton's passage through the building was entirely uneventful. Nothing popped out to attack him. In fact, there didn't even seem to be anything alive in here. The only things he did see, were an occasional spider's web and dead, shriveled up plants here or there.

"After what was outside, this is severely disappointing."

Before he could react, several ropes dropped from the ceiling to wrap around his arms and legs. Effectively keeping him from moving or escaping.

A closer look revealed that they were more like strings of silk, than the rope he had at first thought they were. They were sticky and hard, but resilient at the same time. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break them.

"Well, this sucks."

He didn't have to wait long for the owner of the sticky lines to appear. Its body resembled a spider, with black hair all over its body, and eight legs sticking out from it. But it had a rat's head, and the arms were tipped by claws. It was roughly about the size of a person, and looked uglier than sin itself. It was currently holding itself in the air by two arms clutching, what looked to be another strand of silk.

It slowly descended and scrambled up to Phaeton. It stopped a few feet away, and looked up at him.

"No see why Master afraid. Weak. Pathetic. Food."

The horribly deformed creature started to crawl up Phaeton's body. When it got to his face and chest, the rat head smiled at him.

"Yummy, yummy. Delicious Soul Gem. Me eat now."

It raised one of its claw-tipped arms and slowly reached forward with it, ready to claim its meal.

However, as soon as the claw touched Phaeton's chest, it burst into flame. The Devourer shrieked out in pain as it fell to the ground, covered in flames. They spread to the lines that bound Phaeton, and he was quickly freed as they were consumed.

As he watched the Soul Devourer in its final death throws, he bent down slightly. "Now that's what I call heart burn."

As it dissolved into dust, he reached out and took its Soul Gem. One more to add to his slowly growing collection.

He continued down the corridor, leaving behind the smell of burnt hair.

He emerged a few minutes later into a large room, that must have been the main Green House at one point. It was dilapidated now, and those plants that still lived were scattered all over the place. One plant in particular though, drew his attention.

It was more like a frame work of vines, than a real plant. It wasn't the plant itself that drew his attention, but rather what was suspended in the frame work.

"Ami!"

She was wrapped up tightly in several vines, and suspended halfway between the ceiling and the floor.

He started walking towards her, when a very feminine voice called out.

"If you value the girl's life, stay where you are."

Phaeton stopped, and looked around for the owner of the voice. His attention was drawn to a large flower that he hadn't noticed before, slowly beginning to open. Once it was open, he could see a Soul Devourer sitting inside of it, much like the thing was a throne.

"So the guest of honor has arrived at last."

The large plant creature rose, and stepped down from the flower, giving the scene some deformed sense of Royalty descending a dais. She walked over until she was standing in-between Phaeton and Ami.

"Greetings to you, oh great Prince of Phaeton." He couldn't help but notice the venomous sarcasm that laced her voice. "I am to bid you welcome. And, to offer you the greatest of Honors. Join us. Join us in the ranks of the Void, and crush this miserable world and all of its sickening purity."

Phaeton continued to stare at the plant creature. She mistook his hesitation for contemplation, rather than the fact that he was looking for the best possible attack to use on her.

"It is very simple. You come with me to the Void, and forget about all these petty Humans and their disgusting habits. Once on the Void, you too shall become a great warrior. Rising to the top of the ranks, to sit at the right side of our Queen."

As he continued to remain silent, she frowned at him.

"If you do not join us willingly, I have been told to kill you and bring back your Soul Gem. You will join us one way or another, so give up peacefully and come with me now."

Phaeton paused, as he looked at her. "No, I think not. Now why don't you release Ami and go back to the Void. You can tell your dear Queen that she's at the top of my list, and that I'd rather kiss a poisonous frog than join you."

At the sound of Phaeton's voice, Ami started to rouse a little. She came around just in time to see that something was about to attack Phaeton from behind. However, as bound up as she was, she could do nothing to warn him.

"Then so be it. If death is what you want, then Death you shall have."

Phaeton stumbled forward as he felt several very painful, needle-like things strike him. As he stumbled to the floor, he reached behind and managed to pull one out.

It was a needle. A very familiar looking one at that.

He slumped to the floor, and remained unmoving.

Floran smiled to herself as she looked up at Ami. "So much for your gallant Knight In Shinny Armor. Pity. I had hoped he'd be more of a challenge, what with all the attention the Queen's been giving him."

She turned back to face Phaeton, and slowly began to walk towards him. As she did a yellowish form appeared at her side.

It looked much like a large cat. However, most cats didn't have spines down their backs or spiked tails.

Floran patted it on the head and then gestured behind, towards Ami. "You may have the girl. Don't harm her body however. The Queen wants her as an example for the other Scouts. So that they may know what the Future holds for them."

The cat creature advanced on Ami, and all she could do was stare in horror as it slowly began to climb the vines.

Floran stopped just in front of Phaeton and bent down over him. She kicked him with one of her feet and smiled again at the dull thump that it created.

"So much for the gallant hero indeed. I don't even see why the Queen would want this one."

"Because she knows how deadly I am."

Before Floran could react, one of Phaeton's hands shot out from beneath him to reveal the energy blade he had been shielding from view. He rolled over and quickly stabbed upwards, impaling her on it. She screamed out in pain as he stood up, and slowly twisted the blade side to side.

The blade remained buried in her body as she started to turn to dust.

A final smile came across her lips, as she stared down at Phaeton. "Hate to disappoint you, but you've only gotten another puppet. The real me still waits for you. However, you should be worried about what's happening behind me."

She completely faded into dust, just in time for Phaeton to see what she was talking about.

Even through the restraining vines, he could hear Ami's scream as the cat thing plunged a claw into her chest. A moment later, it removed the claw. And with it, Ami's Soul Gem.

"NOOOOO!"

Phaeton was over at the vines in an instant, his blade slicing at the Soul Devourer. It let out a strangled scream as the claw holding Ami's Soul Gem dropped to the ground. The beast itself teleported away before Phaeton could finish it off.

Phaeton quickly grabbed the Soul Gem, before using his energy blade to slice through the vines and free Ami. He caught her limp form as she fell. He laid her carefully on the ground and knealed down beside her.

With every ounce of desperation that filled him, he tried to force her Soul Gem back into her body, knowing full well that it wouldn't work.

He tried it over and over, each time with no success. Eventually, he used up so much energy that he reverted back to Jordan.

He continued to try, ignoring the voice at the back of his head, that kept telling him it was a lost cause.

Finally, his body ran out of energy and he could no longer remain upright. He feel over onto his side, exhausted beyond anything he'd ever felt in his life. He slipped into unconsciousness with the Soul Gem clutched tightly in his hand.

* * *

A weary Sailor Moon looked around her, at her equally weary friends. It had been a long and draining fight, and they had a small pile of Soul Gems to prove for it. They had managed to hold their own, and no one had been seriously hurt. They had won a great victory, though as of yet, they remained oblivious as to its final cost.

Sailor Moon trudged up to Sailor Jupiter, who was busy looking through the remains of a Soul Devourer for it's Soul Gem. She glanced up briefly as she approached.

"Did you see where Phaeton went? I lost track of him after he took out those two behemoths."

Jupiter though for a moment as she picked up the Soul Gem. "I think I saw him go into the main building. That was a while ago though. You think somethings wrong?"

Sailor Moon nodded her head. "Uh huh. I've got a really bad feeling that something really bad happened in there."

"I agree. The remaining Devourers left in a hurry, and all at once. Something happened inside, and we had better go check out what." Sailor Uranus' deep voice startled Sailor Moon, and Sailor Jupiter.

It had the desired effect though, as the rest of the Scouts gathered up all the Soul Gems they could find and made their way to the main building.

They went down the same hall that Phaeton had. When they came to the scorched part, they all held their noses as the smell of burnt hair filled their nostrils.

"I think he came this way." The sarcasm in Sailor Mars' voice was obvious to even Sailor Venus, and they continued on.

They eventually came out into large Green House.

They looked around and it was Sailor Saturn who spotted them first. "Over there!"

Everyone scrambled over in the direction she pointed. Sailor Moon turned away, not wanting to look at what had befallen her friend.

Ami was just barely breathing, and it looked as if all the colored had been drained from her. Her clothes were even different shades of gray.

From the position that Jordan had fallen, it looked like he was dead. They couldn't see him breathing, and it was finally a very hesitant Sailor Saturn who approached him.

"Jordan? Are you all right? Jordan?" She carefully shook him and continued to call his name.

After a few minutes, she managed to get a groan from him, but it was enough to relieve Saturn. The prospect of explaining to Morgan that her brother wasn't coming back didn't exactly thrill her.

She turned from Jordan and examined Ami. It wasn't good. She was still breathing, but she seemed to be in a deep trance. Saturn tried everything she could think of to try and wake her up. Nothing.

"I think Jordan's okay, he just needs to rest. It looks like he used up all of his energy." Sailor Saturn stood back up, and turned to the others. "Ami's a completely different story. I can't even get a response out of her. If it wasn't for the fact that she's still breathing..."

The rest of her comment was left unsaid.

"We better get them out of here. Whatever did this, could be back any moment." Every body agreed with Sailor Neptune.

The other Scouts carefully picked up Jordan and Ami. Sailor Uranus grabbed Jordan with Sailor Jupiter's help, and Sailor Mars grabbed Ami with assistance from Sailor Venus.

Sailor Uranus thought for a moment. "We should take them to the Temple. It's the safest place right now and we can keep an eye on them until one of them comes around."

Everyone nodded their agreement, and they set off for the Cherry Hill Temple.

* * *

"Luna, why won't she say anything? She just sits there, staring at the walls."

Luna shook her head sadly. "It's. It's ..."

"Because her Soul Gem's been taken."

Everyone in the room swiveled to look at Jordan, as he slowly sat up from the small sleeping pallet he was laying on.

When they had reached the Temple, they had placed Ami on the bed, and Jordan on a spare sleeping pallet. Ami had awoken a few minutes ago, but since then, all she had done was stare at the walls, showing no interest or awareness of her surroundings.

"If so, then it's your fault!" Amara glared at Jordan, and it was only because of Lita and Michelle holding her back, that she didn't try to kill him on the spot. "If you had waited for us, we would have been able to save her."

Jordan just looked at her for a moment, before looking at his right hand, which was still in a fist. He didn't say a word, just stared at his clenched fist.

"Say something damn it! How do we heal her?"

Jordan looked up at the angry Amara, a deep look of actual sadness on his face. "As far as I know, we can't."

"WHAT?!"

This time, all the girls jumped up, and advanced on him.

All he did in return, was look up at them.

"Stop this! Beating up on Jordan won't help with Ami." Everyone paused, and most of them felt a little sheepish, as Luna stepped between Jordan, and them. "Besides, he's told you all before that there isn't a known way to restore a Soul Gem."

Disgruntled, Amara sat back down, the others following her example.

Jordan glanced over at Ami, and then back to the girls. "The most important step though, is recovering her Soul Gem."

Amara jumped up again, and stared down at him. "Tell me which thing has it, and I'll go get it myself."

Jordan looked up at her for a moment, before holding up his clenched fist. "Don't bother." He opened his hand, to reveal a small crystal of deep blue. "I already took care of it."

Amara glared down at him, as she slowly sat back down. "So if you got her Soul Gem, then how come you weren't able to prevent it from being taken in the first place?"

He shook his head and placed the Soul Gem in a pocket. "I was busy. Taking care of the thing that caught her in the first place."

"And what happened to it?"

"I killed it."

Jordan slowly stood up, wavering slightly on his feet. He braced himself against the wall, as he waited for his legs to stabilize.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jordan ignored the sarcasm in Amara's voice, as he started walking out the door. "To find Trista. If I'm going to find a way to heal Ami, I'm going to need some things."

Before anyone could say anything more, Jordan was gone, leaving them all feeling confused.


	10. Chapter 9 No Rest for The Weary

* * *

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 9: No Rest For The Weary

By: Ginsan

"Where is she?"

Jordan was sitting at the same table in the cafe as he had the last time he met with Trista. This time though, she was late. Over an hour to be exact. As the minutes ticked by on his watch, his mood was not improving.

"Can I get you a refill?"

Jordan glanced up briefly at the waitress and nodded his head. She quickly refilled his glass and left to check on other tables.

Jordan watched her for a few minutes, before turning to Trista as she sat down. "You're late. You were supposed to be here over an hour ago."

Trista ignored him for a moment as she signaled the waitress. She quickly ordered a drink before finally looking at Jordan.

"I'm sorry." She waited for the waitress, then thanked her as the drink was placed on the table. "There was an anomaly in the Time Stream that I had to investigate.

Jordan remained quite a moment, as he took a sip from his drink. "Well? What was it?"

Trista looked down at her drink. "I don't know. It vanished before I could lock on to it."

Jordan glared at her as he took another sip. "How does something just vanish from the Time Stream? There is always a trace of anything traveling through it."

Trista shook her head. "I don't know. Something could have found a way to hide itself there."

Jordan was quiet a moment, thinking this over. "Worry about it later. For now, I need your help. Ami's been attacked by a Soul Devourer."

At the appalled look on her face, Jordan nodded his head and showed her Ami's Soul Gem.

"What happened?"

"Ask one of the other Scouts later. For now, I need you to get a few things that Jorowyn left with you." He paused for a moment as he thought it over. "I need the books on Kingdom history. His storage chest. And the sealed box, with the Phaeton symbol on it."

Trista gave him a weird look as he requested the last item. "You never did tell me what was in that box."

"And I'm still not. Bring the items by my place. If no one answers, just leave them by the door."

Jordan got up and left, once again paying for both drinks. Trista watched as he left the cafe and headed down the steps. She continued to watch until he disappeared around the corner. With a resigned sigh, she got up and left. Jorowyn had never been keen on explanations, so why think this incarnation would be any different?

* * *

"I just want to kill him. A quick choke hold, and a twist."

The rest of the Scouts looked warily at Amara as she paced around the room. Jordan had left over three hours ago, but she still hadn't calmed down. Ami's current state didn't help either.

"For the last time, calm down Amara. Killing Jordan, especially right now, won't help matters. What happened wasn't his fault and you know it." Luna stared up at her.

Amara stopped in her pacing to glare down at the little black cat. After a few moments, she relaxed slightly, and collapsed into an empty chair.

"I'm sorry Luna. I didn't mean it. I just. I just feel so helpless."

The expressions on the faces around her, mirrored her statement. They all felt helpless, and it was starting to eat at them.

Luckily, Trista arrived to offer a little bit of good news.

She knocked politely at the door of the room before she entered. Immediately, everyone looked at her.

"Trista. Are we glad you're here."

She smiled meekly at them, as she sat down in an empty seat. "I've just come from Jordan's, with some slightly positive news." She had everybody's attention as she continued. "He thinks he might have found an old journal, from the days of the Moon Kingdom, that might help. He's reading through it now, as well as several other texts and journals. For now though, he wants one of you to bring Ami to his house. Who ever it is, is supposed to get at least a week's worth of clothing for themselves, as well as Ami."

Amara jumped up, and practically yelled at Trista. "Who does he think we are? If he wants us to do something, he can damn well ask, not order us around like a bunch of servants."

Trista waited for her to calm down slightly, before continuing. "He said, that it was so he could observe her. He also wanted to run a few tests, that wouldn't work within the temple's energy field."

Rae nodded her head. "Makes sense. There is a lot of spiritual energy around here."

After several moments of silence, Lita stood up. "I'll do it. I can miss a few classes." She paused to grin slightly. "Besides, Ami said he's got a killer kitchen."

Her slight attempt at humor managed to get a few weak chuckles, and even a few smiles.

"Perfect. He said you should come by as soon as possible. You could wait until tomorrow morning if you wanted." She paused as she remembered the last remark Jordan had said when she dropped off the requested items. "Jordan also said that you should come up with a really good excuse, so her mother wouldn't get worried."

It was the last part, that caused the most commotion.

"And how do we do that? Ami's mom can spot a lie a mile away." Lita looked at Trista, begging her to come up with an answer. "How do we convince her that nothings wrong, much less explain why she's going to miss a week of school?"

Silence settled over the room, as everyone looked at Trista. Seeing no help from her, they tried coming up with excuses on their own.

Serena ventured one first. "Maybe we can say that she's on a special school trip. That she's going away with her class, on a research trip or something?"

Rae shook her head. "Sorry Meatball Head, wouldn't work. Ami's Mom would just call the school to find out why there wasn't any advance warning."

Serena lowered her head in defeat, and tried to come up with another idea.

"Maybe, we can just tell her the truth, sort of."

Everyone looked at Mina. Considering that her ideas usually backfired, they decided to go ahead, and see what she had to say.

"I know we can't tell her that Ami is a Sailor Scout, but maybe we can tell her what happened to her. That she was attacked by a monster, and was hurt pretty badly. And as for the reason why she won't be in school, it's because she can't be moved until she recovers."

Silence settled across the room as everyone continued staring at Mina.

"I knew it, another bad idea." Mina sighed dejectedly, and hung her head.

"Are you kidding! That idea just might work, with a bit of work." Raye patted Mina on the shoulder. "We might just get that brain of yours working after all Mina."

Everyone chuckled, as Mina glared at Rae for her last comment.

Lita stood up. "Sounds like we have a plan. I'll go tell her Mom in person, so it sounds a bit more convincing. I'm sure I can have all the kinks worked out of it by the time I get over there. I'll be back to tell you guys how it went."

Lita was out of the door, before anyone could say or do anything to stop her.

Amara turned back to face the rest of the group. "Well, I guess that's all we can do for now. Hopefully, Ami's Mom will buy it, and that pathetic excuse for a Senshi can restore her Soul Gem."

Though they weren't quite of Amara's opinion, everyone else did have the same hopes.

* * *

"Mrs. Mizuno? Hello?" Lita knocked on the door for the fourth time. "Are you home?"

She waited another five minutes, before using Ami's key. She had borrowed it, just in case. Apparently, it had been a good idea.

She let herself inside the apartment and looked around. "Mrs. Mizuno, are you home?"

Not getting an answer, she made her way to Ami's room and quickly packed some clothes for her. She left Ami's room and was about to leave, when she spotted a note on the refrigerator door. She walked over and read it. She sighed with relief as she did so.

'Ami. Medical Emergency. Out of Town till Monday.

Emergency Money in the usual place, call me if you

need me. Love Mom.'

Under it, was a phone number where she could be reached.

Lita grabbed the note and left the apartment. She wouldn't have to explain things to Ami's Mom after all. Relieved, she headed back for the Temple to pick up Ami, and to tell everybody that they were in the clear. Things were looking up.

* * *

"Hey, will someone open up already!" Lita continued to pound on the front door of Jordan's house, starting to get frustrated that no one was answering the door.

Lita was about to pound on the door again, and quite likely break it down, when an exhausted looking lady in a maid's uniform opened the door. "I'm sorry ma'am, I was upstairs cleaning the guest rooms. You are the two young ladies that Mr. Jordan was expecting?"

Lita started at the woman for a moment, before she noticed that the maid was starting to stare at Ami. "Yes we are. We'll go wait in the living room, while you go tell Jordan that we're here."

The maid shrugged her shoulders as she let the two of the into the house, though she watched as Lita had to push Ami to get her moving.

"Don't mind her, she's been under a lot of stress lately and she's kinda out of it."

The maid shrugged her shoulders again, and headed upstairs to tell Jordan that his guests had arrived a bit early.

Lita guided Ami inside, and towards the big sofa in the living room where she managed to get her to sit down. "Geeze girl. I hope Jordan finds a cure for you, because this is going to get tiresome."

Lita had just plopped down on the sofa herself, when Jordan came down the stairs. Lita was slightly shocked by the way he looked. In the few hours that had passes since she had seen him last, he had gotten rather haggard looking.

"What happened to you? You get mauled by another Devourer?"

Jordan ignored her comment as he looked at Ami. "You're a little early, I wasn't expecting you till later. Doesn't hurt I guess. Bring her, and follow me. I'll show you to your rooms."

Lita might have been able to brush off and ignore his rude behavior under normal circumstances, but not right now. "Alright buddy, I've had enough. It's bad enough that Ami's like this, but we don't need your attitude to go with it. If you want something, you can tell me why and ask for my help. I won't stick around, just so you can order me around like your maid."

Jordan looked at her for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. "Fine. Since you two are early, I'm going to go ahead and do the tests. I need you to bring Ami up to the guest bedrooms, so I can do so in peace. As for the maid, I've dismissed her until further notice. And I really don't have time to be explaining everything I'm going to ask of you right now, so just do it when I tell you to. Now, will you please bring Ami with you?"

Jordan, headed up the stairs, not even caring if Lita was going to follow or not. The tests could wait till the morning, and he still had plenty of reading to do. Very little of which, was going to be pleasant.

Lita watched him go up the stairs, before muttering something under her breath about ungrateful brats. She got Ami off the couch and headed up the stairs, being careful not to let Ami hurt herself on the way up.

Once at the top, she guided Ami down the hallway and stopped at the open door at the end of it. Peeking inside, she saw Jordan setting out a bunch of crystals.

Before she could say something, Jordan turned around to face her. "Lay her on the bed." The was a small gap, and an annoyed expression crossed his face. "Please."

Shrugging, Lita guided Ami into the room and laid her down on the bed. She stepped back as Jordan placed a couple of the crystals on Ami's forehead, and one each on her hands, and feet. Lastly, he placed one at the center of her chest, approximately where her heart was.

Jordan stood up after placing the last crystal, and Looked at Lita. "Now, we wait. I'm going up to my room to read some more. You can either stay here and watch after her, or you can explore the house. Just stay out of any rooms that are locked. The next room over is yours."

He turned, and started walking towards the door. "If you try and feed her something later, I'd go with soup. No one else is here, so you don't have to worry about that." He walked out the door, and disappeared to the left.

"Yah. Thanks for the tour Jordan." Lita rolled her eyes, and gave Ami a quick once over. "Guess you'll be alright for a bit."

Lita made her way back downstairs to grab their things. She put the two suitcases into their rooms before she started exploring. After looking around in the Library, she headed back downstairs to finish exploring. She stopped though, when she finally found the kitchen.

She walked through the door and practically started drooling. Ami had said it was a killer kitchen, but she hadn't said it was this good. Thinking back to what Jordan had said, Lita started looking through the kitchen for ingredients. Maybe a little Miso soup would improve Jordan's mood.

* * *

"Damn it!" Jordan's exclamation was punctuated by a rather large book flying across his room, and hitting the wall. He watched it for a few seconds,as it slid down the wall, to land in a jumbled mess on the floor.

A several thousand year old book, and he threw it at a wall. He knew it wasn't the best thing to do, but right now he was getting pretty damned aggravated. Seven books so far, and all he had found was that one passage about the separation process. Something he already knew enough about.

"What I need, is a fricking passage about how to fix the damned separation. Or at least something that was written in a language from this century." He paused a moment. "Or at least this planet."

Jordan sat back in the chair he was in and rested his head on the back of it. Getting mad a piece of parchment wasn't going to help matters.

After a few minutes, he sat back up and looked at his watch. Enough time should have passed on the crystal test he started a few hours ago. Time to go see what results, if any, he could get from it.

* * *

Lita was on her way up to tell Jordan that she had fixed dinner, when she spotted him in Ami's room. She walked in and noticed that he was examining the crystals that he had placed on Ami earlier. They were laying in a small pile before him and he was looking closely at them, one by one.

"What are you doing? Or is it some secret I'm not allowed to know?"

Jordan continued to stare at the crystal in his hand for a moment, before placing it on the ground, and looking over at her. "It's too complicated to explain fully. To put it bluntly though, the crystals were scanning her body. None of them have changed color, except for the ones that were on her forehead."

"And that means what?"

"That, other than there being no Spirit energy whatsoever, there's nothing wrong with her." An annoyed look crossed Jordan faces, as he looked back down at the crystals. "Which means that I can't figure out what the problem is, or why I can't get the Soul Gem to return to her body."

Lita looked at him for a minute. "Well, since it doesn't look like you can do anything right now, I've got some Miso soup downstairs. You should get some, it'll do you good. Especially since I don't think you've eaten anything all day."

Jordan looked at the crystal for a few more seconds, before nodding his head. "Why not. I need a break anyway."

Jordan and Lita headed back to the kitchen, where she had set out two bowels and some glasses. "I didn't know what you liked to drink, so you'll have to get your own."

Jordan nodded and headed to the fridge. After looking around for several minutes, he pulled out a pitcher of milk. After pouring a glass of it, he put it back, and sat down in his seat.

"Alright, so what is it?" Jordan started down at the bowl, and the unfamiliar contents.

"Miso soup. I was surprised you had the soy for it in your fridge."

Jordan shrugged, and tried a spoonful of it. "Not bad." Jordan paused for another spoonful. "Blame it on Hotaru. She got Morgan started on the stuff."

"You've never had Miso soup?"

Jordan shook his head. "No. Never really wanted to. It's good though. Can I get the recipe?"

Lita nodded. "Sure thing. I'll write it down for you after I clean up."

Jordan paused with the spoon halfway to his mouth and stared blankly at Lita. "What was that?"

Lita gave him a puzzled look. "That I'd give you the recipe."

"No, no, after that." Jordan seemed frantic as he dropped his spoon into his bowl.

"That I'd do it after I cleaned the dishes. Unless you want dirty dishes back in the cabinets."

Jordan jumped up and almost knocked over his bowl. "Lita, I could almost kiss you. Almost. You're a genius."

Before she could say anything else, Jordan was out of the kitchen and halfway up the staircase.

"Uh, thanks. I think."

* * *

A few hours later, Jordan was in much better spirits than he had been that afternoon. Never mind that it was after midnight.

"That's it. It was so damned obvious. No wonder I missed it." Jordan placed the last of the journals and books back in the box, all except for the two or three that he would need. "Now, let's hope it works."

Jordan made his way from his room and down to Ami's guest room. Journals in hand, he made his way into the room. Ami was still laying on the bed, and Lita was asleep in a chair next to her.

Setting the books down on the side of the bed, Jordan nudged Lita with his foot. "Hey. Wake up."

A groggy Lita looked up at Jordan and blinked her eyes. "What time is it?"

"One thirty in the morning."

She looked at him for a minute, as she continued to wake up. "And why are you waking me up now?"

"Simple. I've got the cure." A grin flashed on Jordan's face, before turning into a slight frown. "I think. I can't be sure till I try it." He looked at the books. "It was in there the whole time, I just couldn't read between the lines."

Lita looked up at him, as she stood up and stretched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The books all kept talking about the victim's body, and that no matter how it was treated, they could never return the Soul Gem. It wasn't until what you said downstairs, that I realized that none of the books ever mentioned looking at the Soul Gem for any problems."

"So the problem isn't with Amy?"

Jordan shook his head, as he picked up one of the books, and flipped through it till he found the section he wanted. "Listen to this. 'These creatures are the ultimate Abomination. Coming from a reality much harsher than our own, their very being is distorted beyond normalcy. Once in our world, they begin to contaminate their surroundings.'" Jordan closed the book and looked at Lita. "They knew the answer even back then, though they didn't realize it."

Lita looked at him. "You mean the Soul Gem won't go back because it's been contaminated, and not the body?"

Jordan nodded his head. "Yes. It'll be a bit tricky, but I found a way to modify an old Healing Spell that should do the trick."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Possibly. I'm going to try and start now. If you want, you can wait out in the hall."

Lita thought it over for a moment. "No, I'll stay."

"Alright. Step back though."

Jordan waited till Lita stepped back a little, before picking up the largest of the books he had brought with him. He flipped to the section he needed, and read for a moment before he held up his pendant.

Lita watched from a corner of the room, as Jordan's pendant flashed and he changed into his Phaeton Knight form. She was slightly surprised that he didn't have to use an activation phrase, but then again, neither did Darien.

As she watched, Jordan continued to hold up his pendant as it slowly began to glow. When the glowing became steady pulse, Jordan brought out Ami's Soul Gem. He placed it over Ami's body and left it floating in the air. The Soul gem began to glow, and pulse in sync with the pendant. She guessed everything was going right so far.

Jordan knew something was wrong. The modification was working, but it was taking too much energy. It felt like every spark of energy in his body was being used for this. He could barely maintain his transformation. Sweat began to bead on his forehead under the helmet, and fatigue began to set in all over his body. He wouldn't be able to last long at this rate. If he could just hold out a few more seconds though, it wouldn't matter.

Lita continued to watch as both the pendant and the Soul Gem began to glow brighter. After a few seconds, the Soul Gem flashed, and vanished. Immediately afterwards, Phaeton's armor shimmered and melted away to leave Jordan. He stayed still for a second, before the arm that was holding the pendant fell to the floor and he collapsed forward, to lay on the edge of the bed.

She ran over to him to see what was wrong. "Jordan. Jordan. You OK?" She shook him a couple of times, before checking his pulse. "What's wrong Jordan? Come on, snap out of it." His pulse was erratic and his breathing was very shallow.

As she moved her hand from his back, to try and sit him up, she noticed that it was wet with something. Looking closer, she realized it was blood. She looked at Jordan's back, and noticed that his shirt was soaked with it.

"This is so not good."

* * *

It was dark. And cold. So cold. And empty. Everything around her was black, and featureless. She didn't know where she was, or how she'd gotten here, but she knew she was in trouble. Ami remained curled into a ball, as she wished desperately for someone to save her.

Every time she tried to think about what had happened, all she could remember was someone yelling, and then an intense amount of pain. She couldn't remember any more, no matter how hard she tried.

She didn't know how long she was there, or how long it had been there, but she noticed that a light was slowly starting to brighten near her. The longer she watched it, the brighter it got. After a while, it settled into a glowing sphere of light about arm's length from her.

As she continued to look at it, it began to slowly drift in her direction. It stopped a few inches from her face. When she looked into it, she saw nothing but white light at first, then slowly an image began to form.

She didn't know where it was at, but she recognized two people in it. One of them was Lita. She seemed to be really worried about something, and was leaning over the second person, trying to do something. The second person, looked like Jordan. She couldn't tell for sure, since Lita was blocking most of his face.

After a few seconds of watching the image, sound slowly began to come from the light. It was faint at first, but then it started to come in at a normal volume.

"Come on Jordan. What's wrong with you. Wake up. Did you finish healing Ami, or not? Say something, Damn it! How'd you get hurt so badly anyway?"

As Ami continued to look, she noticed that Lita had Jordan's shirt off, and was trying to bandage something. As she looked closer, she noticed that Lita's hands were covered with blood.

"Jordan!"

Ami reached out and grabbed the sphere. Everything around her flashed, and changed.

* * *

Lita was starting to get frantic. Ami was still laying on the bed, though she seemed to be asleep now. Jordan was laying on the floor, bleeding everywhere. Nothing she tried could stop the bleeding. She had manage to take his shirt off, and look at where all the blood was coming from.

It wasn't pretty. There were several wounds all over his back, that looked like someone had stabbed him repeatedly with a spike. The blood was coming from these wounds. She'd never seen anything this bad, and she wondered how Jordan had gotten them. More importantly, how long he had had them?

As she searched frantically for something to use to try and staunch the blood, she heard a faint groan from behind her. Looking back, she saw Ami sitting up in the bed holding her head.

"What happened to me? Where am I?"

"Ami!" Lita hugged Ami, and tried not to get any blood on her. "Thank God you're alright. I was worried that Jordan hadn't been able to heal you."

Ami looked at her for a moment before noticing Jordan on the ground behind her. "Jordan? What happened to him?"

Lita shook her head as she let Ami go, and tried again to stop the blood. "I don't know. He just collapsed a few minutes ago after trying something on you to return your Soul Gem to your body. I checked on him, and found all this blood. And I can't get him to wake up."

"Here, let me." Ami got off the bed, and grabbed the sheet. She wrapped it around Jordan as tightly as she could and tied it in a knot. "That should do for now, though we should get some proper bandages on it. Now, will you tell me what's going on?"

Lita nodded, and began to tell her everything that had happened so far during that very long day. She couldn't tell Ami what had happened inside the building, but Ami remembered what happened.

"I know what happened. I remember now. Phaeton came in, to try and save me. As he did, some monster called Floran blocked him. While she said something to him, something attacked him from behind. He was stabbed by a lot of needles. After that, all I remember is Jordan screaming and a large amount of pain. And then nothing but dark emptiness, and cold."

Lita looked at her, then gave her another hug. "Girl, I'm just glad your back. As for Jordan, if he was injured then, how come he didn't start bleeding until now?"

Ami shook her head. "I don't know, but I think we should call the others. At least let them know I'm OK."

Lita nodded, and stood up. "Will do. I'll go wash my hands first, then I'll call Rae's place."

Lita left Ami with Jordan, who was now laying in the bed. His skin looked pale, but he was still breathing that was something.

"Oh Jordan. Thank you for saving me, but please, be alright."


	11. Chapter 10 Nightmares of the Past

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 10: Nightmares of the Past

By: Ginsan

Ami and Rae came out of the guest room they had decided to leave Jordan in.

"So how is he?"

Ami shook her head as she looked at all the faces piled in the small hallway. "We've managed to stop the blood loss for now. But it doesn't look good. There's some kind of toxin in the wounds and it's causing problems."

"What kind of problems?" Serena looked at Ami and Rae worriedly.

Everyone was glad that Ami was back to normal but now, there were mixed emotions in the group in regards to Jordan. Everyone was feeling pity for the guy, though Amara still seemed ticked off at him.

"Well, one of the properties of the toxin, is an anti-coagulant. It's keeping his blood from clotting up, and stopping the blood loss. I gave him some herbs that seem to have solved that problem." Rae shook her head. "It won't last though. The toxin is too strong."

Silence for a moment before Lita spoke up. "OK, so what else is wrong with him then? You said that was one of the venom's properties." She still seemed a little stressed out over the whole matter. Even with the few hours of sleep she had managed to get while Ami and Rae were taking care of Jordan.

"That's the worst part of it. The toxin seems to have highly evolved neural properties. It's targeting his nervous system, and starting to shut down it down. He should be dead by now, but his body is still fighting it off somehow. If the toxin reaches his brain though, we won't be able to do anything for him. We have to find an antidote before that happens, and we don't know how long his body and hold off the toxin."

The group fell silent again, as they tried to absorb this information.

Michelle was the first to speak up. "Is there anything we do to help?"

Rae shook her head. "I don't think so. The best we could hope for, is if we can catch the Devourer that caused this. Otherwise, I don't think there's anything we can do."

Before silence could settle over the group again, Amara started heading for the stairs.

Michelle started to go after her, when Amara waved her back. "Stay here with the others, I need some air."

She turned the corner and went down the stairs, leaving everyone staring after her.

* * *

"Highness. May I present my son, Prince Jorowyn. Heir to the throne of Phaeton."

A man in a very formal looking set of clothes gestured to a small child who stood behind him.

He looked to be around the age of four or five. He was dressed almost exactly like the man, and looked very similar to him as well. The only difference between the two was that the child had bright green eyes while his father had Light brown eyes, and his father has a large gold circlet around his head, while his son had a thin silver one. Also, the father had a cape, with the child did not.

The child stepped out from behind his father, and bowed a little awkwardly to the Queen. "It is an Honor to meet you, your Majesty." His voice was quiet, and he sounded slightly nervous.

The Queen smiled down at the child, relaxing him instantly. "And it is a pleasure to meet you again young Jorowyn. How do you like my Moon so far?"

The child's smile beamed up at the queen. "I like it very much. It's very pretty. And I like all the flowers. We don't have many back home."

The Queen smiled again, as did young Jorowyn's father. "Yes, I can imagine that you wouldn't see many flower's on Phaeton. Living up so high above the ground."

His father looked down at him. "The Queen and I have some things we need to discuss. Why don't you go and play with the Princess's and your cousins."

Jorowyn grinned, and bowed hastily to the queen, before walking as quickly as he could from the throne room without being rude.

The Queen chuckled as he left. "He looks just like you Coeus."

He nodded as he continued to look where Jorowyn had walked through the large doors. "Yes, but he acts just like his mother." He sighed as he looked back to the Queen. "You wanted to talk about the recent discoveries correct?"

The Queen let the subject be changed, knowing Coeus was still feeling the loss of his wife, even after three years. They quickly settled into the discussion while outside the room, young Jorowyn wiped away a tear and hurried to find the Princess's.

* * *

Jordan groaned as he slowly came to. The first thing he noticed, was the pain. It settled over his body like a thick fog. He was feeling pain in places he never even knew he had.

As his eyes opened slightly, he noticed that he was in the guest room that he had placed Ami in.

Before he could try to look at anything else, or think what had happened, the pain suddenly intensified and he fell unconscious again.

Back to darkness and back to another of those dream memories like the one he'd just had.

* * *

"How is he?"

Rae made her way into the room, carrying a small tray with food on it. Lita had made some soup for them to give Jordan, and some sandwiches for them to eat.

Ami looked up from her mini-computer as Rae set the tray down. "Not good. His body has stabilized for the most part, but the toxin is still spreading. It's only a mater of time before it becomes too much for his body to fight.

* * *

He could hear laughter up ahead, and knew that he had finally caught up to the Princess's. He came around the corner, and the laughter stopped abruptly, as they all looked at him.

The silence was broken by four simultaneous squeals, and then a muffled scream as poor little Jorowyn was tackled by four slightly larger people, and forced to the ground.

"You made it!"

"We've been waiting forever!"

"Where's my present?"

"Are you ever going to grow up?"

The four larger bodies finally got up off of Jorowyn, revealing themselves to be four girl a few years older than Jorowyn. Each was dressed up in a similar dress, the only difference being the color of each dress.

The tallest one, dressed in a green that matched her hair color, reached down and picked up Jorowyn from the ground. "Good thing you dress like Uncle Coeus. All that green covers up any grass stains you might get." She grinned, as he brushed him off and steered him towards where several other young girls were looking on with varied looks. "Princess Serenity, may I present my cousin Jorowyn, Crown Prince of Phaeton."

A small blond haired girl with a large smile on her face stood up, and nodded towards Jorowyn. "Nice to meet you. Mother said you were visiting today. You like our palace?"

Jorowyn nodded his head, taken completely by surprise at how polite and formal the Moon Princess was, considering she was all of three years old. A look at his own cousins, the four multi-colored girls, was enough to guess why. "A pleasure to meet you Princess Serenity. The palace is very nice. You have lots of pretty stuff here. Wish we lived closer to the ground, so I could see more flowers."

Princess Serenity giggled, and smiled at Jorowyn again. "You can just call me Serena, everyone does. And I'm glad you like our flowers." Gestures towards the other girls with her. "These are my friends Rayna, Princess of Mars; Litonya, Princess of Jupiter; Amira, Princess of Mercury; and Minerva, Princess of Venus."

Jorowyn bowed to the girls, as he smiled. "I already met Litonya, and Amira. Me and Father visited their planets a little while ago."

The nine girls, and the one boy all sat down, and commenced to talk, mostly about what it was like to be the heirs to their perspective planets.

* * *

Jordan began to come around again. He knew he wasn't completely conscious though, since all he could see was a hazy sort of greenish light surrounding him. He could still feel the pain in his body and knew it was steadily getting worse, but he somehow seemed to be removed from it. Feeling it as a slight throbbing.

He tried to look around, and see if there was anything else than the light, but he couldn't move his body. Almost like he was being held in place. With nothing better to do, he thought upon the dream memories he was having.

He really didn't want to go unconscious again. He knew which memories would come next. If the event itself was terrible, the after effects were simply devastating. Not only to himself, but for almost everyone in the Moon Kingdom.

As he lay there, he started to think upon why he was even like this. It took him a few minutes to remember what had happened shortly before he had collapsed.

It was all vague, and jumbled up, but he remembered he was trying to return Ami's Soul Gem to her body. As he continued to think about it, his mind started to get fuzzier, and the light around him dimmed.

With a sudden rush, the dam broke on the pain and it flooded over him. Once more he was sent into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ami sighed as she tried to think of a way to help Jordan. No matter how many scans she did with her computer, she still couldn't come up with a way to stop the toxin.

She stood up, and paced around the room. She was alone right now. Lita had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, and Rae had left to go back to the Temple. She had wanted to see if the Sacred Fire could reveal anything.

Her computer had turned up something that she hadn't told the other Scouts just yet.

She had managed to figure out why Jordan had collapsed. Apparently after her Soul Gem had been taken back at the green house, Jordan had gone non-stop trying to find a cure. He hadn't rested at all. Apparently, he hadn't even tried to attend to his wounds either. The result, was that when he used up the last of his energy to heal her, the little that he had reserved to keep the wounds closed and the Toxin from spreading had also been used. It was a disastrous mixture, and a miracle that he was still alive.

The last thing, the one that frightened her the most, was what her scans had revealed. Or more importantly, what they hadn't revealed.

Even with her most advanced scans, she couldn't find his Soul Gem, his Heart Crystal, or his Star Seed. Something that should have been impossible.

And yet, here he lay, somehow still alive. But for how much longer though, she couldn't be sure.

* * *

"Why wouldn't he tell me what this was all about? Bad enough being dragged here, practically in the middle of the night, and then he ups and leaves us without any explanations."

A very irate and fuming Prince Jorowyn paced about his room. He was a few years older than the last time he had been here. He now looked to be about eight years old, and he had managed to grow quite a bit.

His pacing around the room, was observed by four young ladies. Now approaching adulthood, the four Princesses of Phaeton waiting with as much patience as they could.

Less that two hours ago, Uncle Coeus, Jorowyn's father, had made them all get up and follow him to the Moon. He sent them to their rooms in the Ambassador's Wing and told them to wait while he talked to the Queen. A page had come just a few minutes ago, saying that Coeus had left to go back to Phaeton.

They were all as upset as Jorowyn, however they knew that getting upset about it wouldn't solve anything. They'd just have to wait for answers. They didn't have to wait very long.

Jorowyn suddenly stopped in his tracks, and a look of absolute horror overcame his face. "He wouldn't?!"

He had no sooner spoken the words, before the four princesses screamed out in pain, and collapsed onto the floor. Jorowyn remained upright for a moment as he clutched his chest, before he sunk to his knees and started screaming. From the room outside, muffled screams could also be heard, before servants rushed into the rooms.

They quickly attended to the Princesses first, and outside the doors, Jorowyn could make out the forms of the Ambassador and his family, sprawled out across the furniture. There also appeared to be several other Phaetonian Royals. He noticed them, but didn't really see them. All he could see was the horrify vision in his head, that had caused the others to pass out.

Over and over again, he heard his father speak forbidden words, and watched as the Planet Phaeton exploded in space.

Trying to escape the visions, he fled to the furthest corner of the room, and screamed with his eyes closed. He tried his best to blot out what he was seeing, and hearing. He wouldn't even let the servants and Doctors near him, to examine him.

It wasn't until several hours later, when Princess Amira happened to come in, that he finally let the Doctors examine him. While they did so, unbidden to him, he began to name everyone who had still been on Phaeton at the time it had been destroyed. His father had been able to evacuate most of the people from the planet, but there just hadn't been enough time.

Several hours later, Jorowyn found himself being comforted by Queen Serenity. He felt so warm, and protected in her presence, that he began to tell her everything he could about what had happened. At least what he was allowed to. Something in the back of his mind kept him from telling her everything.

He was able to tell her just enough to convince her that something truly awful had happened back on Phaeton without any details, and Coeus had been left with no choice but to use Phaeton's Forbidden Attack.

It wouldn't be until a few months later, that Jorowyn would realize how he knew so much about what had happened. In all actuality, it was the Queen who discovered it.

The discovery came about when Queen Serenity had failed once again to find out why Jorowyn's cousin's wouldn't awaken from the deep slumber they had fallen into on the day of the catastrophe. Looking for a possible outside source for their condition, she accidentally stumbled across their connections to seemingly new Star Seeds.

Closer examination revealed that they were in fact Sailor Star Seeds for the four largest chunks of what was left of Phaeton. The fact that they were so new, and raw in power was why they remained unconscious.

Acting quickly, the Queen had shrines built inside each of the four Asteroids, and had the princesses placed inside them. This would keep them safe, while at the same time, allowing them to adjust to their new powers. Something that could likely take several lifetimes, even for long lived Senshi.

After the shrines were set into motion, and protection Seals were in place, the Queen made another discovery. The Star Seed of Planet Phaeton had somehow survived.

However, due to the nature in which Phaeton had been destroyed, the Star Seed had been altered. Researching it further, Queen Serenity found that it was in fact the heart of the original Star Seed, and the Star Seeds of the four Princesses were the created from the outside of it.

The greatest surprise though, was that Jorowyn had been chosen by the new Phaeton Star Seed. Jorowyn accepted this rather well, and saw it as the reason why he couldn't tell the Queen everything he knew. The Star Seed had prevented him from doing so.

The next year found him undergoing intense training from both the Queen's Knight Captain, and some of the retainers from Phaeton who had made it safely to the Moon.

As the years went by, Jorowyn grew up and became a powerful warrior. He trained in both the Moon's Martial arts forms, reserved mostly for the soldiers, and in all six forms of Phaetonian Martial Arts.

His retainers taught him all they could, and were amazed at the progress he showed. His sixteenth birthday, saw him officially recognized as a full warrior of the Moon Kingdom. The occasion ended up being both a joyous one for him, and a sad one.

On the day of the Banquet feast, he found out that his cousin Zoicite was still alive, and in fact had become a guardian for the Prince of Earth. He was also introduced to Princess Uranus, a young lady with a very serious grudge against him.

* * *

Jordan came around again, and found himself back in the hazy cloud bank. The colors were noticeable duller than they had been before.

He didn't quite know what to make of the change, until a form began to solidify before him.

It didn't take him long to recognize the green clothing with the silver trim, or the reddish-blond hair.

"What the Hell do you want? And where am I?"

The figure before him smiled slightly, before frowning.

"I know you don't like me much. For that, I apologize. I wish I had the time for both of us to get to know each other, but alas, we don't have it." He paused for a moment before continuing. "As for the first question, what I want is for you to live. For the second, you are inside your Crystal. Or at least your consciousness is."

"What the fucking Hell are you talking about? Live? My Crystal? What the Hell is going on Jorowyn?!"

Jorowyn sighed, before looking Jordan in the eyes.

"For starters, you are dying. Do you remember being attacked from behind back at the Greenhouse?" At Jordan's hesitant nod, he continued. "The spines injected your body with a highly lethal nerve toxin. Normally, your body would have been able to neutralize it without any problems. Unfortunately, you no longer have the required energy for it. You haven't recovered what you spent earlier, and you haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours."

Seeing the frown deepening on Jordan's face, he paused to rephrase his words.

"To neutralize the poison, all you would have needed, was to sleep and let your powers handle the rest. However, you used up all your energy restoring Ami's Soul Gem back to her body. A task I might add, that I was never able to accomplish."

"Because your were a fricking moron."

Jorowyn chose to ignore the rude remark, and continued on.

"Normally, your energy would have been renewed while you slept, but since you didn't even pause to catch your breath, it didn't have the chance. Thus, you literally worked yourself to death. Right now, your body is barely holding on. In order for it last as long as possible, I sent your unconsciousness into the dream scape of your Crystal so that I could control your body better."

"Thanks for all the lousy memories I'd rather not remember. I'm not you. I don't want to remember even being you."

"Yes, I know." A slightly melancholy look crossed his face as Jorowyn prepared his next words. "While you have been out, so to say, I have been watching what goes on outside in the Real World. I think it would surprise you to know, that all the Scouts have been by to check on you at one point or another." Even though he was expecting nothing, the uncaring look from Jordan still saddened him. "If fact, I think it would surprise you to know, that Amara is trying to save your life. She is out looking for the Soul Devourer that attacked you, in hopes of attaining a sample of it's toxin for Ami to create an antidote."

This time, Jorowyn was rewarded with a slight twitch at the corners of Jordan's mouth.

"If she can retrieve it within another two hours, you will most likely live and have her to thank. Of course, no one else knows what she's up to. They all think she's avoiding you. However, I don't think she will be in time." He paused as he considered what he was about to say next. "In case she doesn't make it, I do have an alternate method. I'll sacrifice myself, and give up my essence to repair your body."

Before Jordan could say anything to protest, Jorowyn sent him back into oblivion, and back to the memories.

* * *

Ami awoke from her nap with a start.

It took her a few seconds to clear her head enough to realize what had waken her up. He computer was beeping loudly.

Looking at it, she was appalled to realized that Jordan's life signs were dropping. All she could do was watch in horror, as they plunged down, almost to the point where his body would shut down completely. Luckily, they stopped just short, and seemed to stabilize.

She quickly sent a message to Raye to bring some more of the herbal solution they had worked out, while she tried to find out what had caused the sudden plunge. A look at the records, revealed that there was a sudden energy spike from his Pendant just before the vitals had began to drop.

She sat back in her chair worriedly, realizing that even if Raye brought the herbs soon, there was nothing they could really do about Jordan. Without a miracle, he's be dead before the sun rose.

* * *

Jorowyn was seated at the head of an enormous table. Around him, the ballroom was decorated in the colors of Phaeton, and even though it didn't exist anymore and he refused to wear the crown, the Royal banners were hanging behind him.

He was surrounded on either side by everyone he knew. Most of them he would consider friends. But he could only consider himself to be close to the two that sat to either side of him. To his left, sat Queen Serenity, She smiled down at him, as the food for the feast was being set at their table. To her left, sat Princess Serenity, one of his few friends. To his right though, was the one person who made this day feel worth while.

He hadn't even known he was alive until a week ago, when he had arrived with the Earth delegation for his Birthday feast. Zoicite. His last living blood relative.

Jorowyn's Aunt Vera had long ago fallen in love with one of the Generals of the High King of Earth. Apparently, Vera had fled to Earth and married the General just before Phaeton was destroyed. Jorowyn had never known, and therefore, wasn't aware that he even had a blood relative still.

In just the short week that they had been together, the two had become best friends. Almost like the had been their entire lives. He also found out, that Zoicite was pledged to be the Guardian of the young Prince of Earth.

Jorowyn couldn't care if Zoicite had become the Guardian of a rock. The fact that he still had family, meant more to Jorowyn than all the presents he was going to get after the feast. It didn't hurt matters, that he had come with the Earth Ambassador, and not the Prince.

Apparently, the Prince had been caught in the middle of playing a rather nasty prank on a visiting Earth Noble's daughter, and had been banned from going to the celebration. Zoicite had been the only one allowed to attend, since the other three Guardians had also been caught.

Early on in the week, Zoicite had informed him of what had really happened.

Apparently, Zoicite had actually been the mastermind of the whole affair, and talked the others into it. When things went sour though, they had pretended that Zoicite hadn't been involved. Of course, when he got home, he'd be paying the price for it.

"Malachite will probably have me run around the palace a few times. Then he'll get to the punishment."

Zoicite and Jorowyn started laughing, imagining what the self proclaimed leader of Prince Endymion's Guardians would put Zoicite through. Jorowyn stopped laughing though, as a shiver ran down his spine.

He looked up, to see the doors to the banquet hall open. A page stepped through the doors, and blew a trumpet to get everyone's attention.

"Announcing their Highnesses, Princess Haruka of Uranus, and Princess Michiru of Neptune."

Various whispers floated around the room as the two entered.

For a moment, Jorowyn thought the page had made a mistake. Wearing a formal dress uniform for a Uranian soldier, Jorowyn would almost have bet that this was the Prince of Uranus, and not the Princess. Just as he was about to ask the Queen if the page had a made a mistake, his sensitive ears began to pick up what the other guests had begun to whisper.

Apparently, this was the Princess of Uranus. She just seemed to hate wearing dresses with a passion.

The young woman standing next to her, could be mistaken for nothing but a princess. The short gown she wore in the colors of Neptune made her look the part. The small crown upon her head helped too of course.

The Queen stood, and gestured to the two.

"Haruka, Michiru. I'm so pleased you were able to make it after all." She looked down to Jorowyn, who stood up as well. "Jorowyn, may I introduce you to Princesses Haruka, and Michiru. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to make it, but it seems they have indeed. They'll be staying here at the Moon for a while. Girls, may I introduce you to Prince Jorowyn. The heir to Phaeton."

Jorowyn smiled, and bowed to them. "It's a pleasure to..."

He trailed off, as he caught the murderous look in Haruka's eyes.

When she spoke, he could nearly feel the venom in her words. "A pleasure to meet you as well Prince Jorowyn."

All he could do was blink, as She stormed off, taking a seat as far away from him as possible. Michiru bowed to him quickly, before hurrying after her.

Jorowyn sat down with the Queen, who nodded her head sadly.

"I'm sorry Jorowyn. I had hopped that she had gotten over her feelings by now." At his questioning look, she sighed. "I'm afraid, that her mother was visiting with the scholars of your Planet when it was destroyed. She blames your Father, and you I'm afraid. I just don't know how to help her see that it was an unfortunate accident. Maybe you should try and talk to her about it."

Jorowyn nodded, and returned to eating his food with Zoicite. After a few minutes, the two resumed their conversation, though he continued to look over at the angry Princess. Each time, being met with the same murderous look as before.

* * *

Jordan came to, and realized without much of a shock, that he was still in the Hell scape of his memories. He looked around, and spotted a rather pathetic looking Jorowyn sitting on the ground nearby.

"Don't you look peachy. I think I almost prefer your obnoxious happiness to this."

Jorowyn looked over at him, before slowly turning his body to face him. "I wish I could crack a joke at you right now, but matters are reaching critical. Your body is barely holding on right now, and I have no more energy to spare. I'll give Amara ten more minutes, and then I'm afraid I'll have to end our relationship."

"You know, I'd rather die anyway. Why the Hell are you sacrificing yourself for me? I'm just going to go out, and try to get killed again. Life's complete. The mystery of the Soul Devourers is solved. Why continue this charade of life?"

Jorowyn shook his head sadly. "I was hoping that re-experiencing some of your past, would help you with your grief. My mistake. But, I will not let you die. Not if I can do anything about it. You will live, and you will continue living, because there is someone else you care about more than your own death."

Jordan sneered at him, and laughed. "You were wrong, and glad to know you know it. And I hope you're not talking about Ami. I barely know the girl. I saved her life, because it was a chance to end the purpose of mine. It worked. Now let me die. And quite showing me how miserable life was back then. I already know."

Jorowyn stood up slowly, and Jordan could feel himself slipping back into the darkness. "I was talking about your sister. But yes, I suppose I was talking about Ami as well. You care for her, more than you care to admit. It's such a shame, that you've let one tragic event in your life poison the rest of it. I wish you good luck in the future Jordan. I sense the end approaching, and I shall leave you with Good Bye. May you find the peace that you seek soon."

Jordan fell back into the dream-memories, a scathing retort unspoken upon his lips.

* * *

Ami slept in the chair next to Jordan. Amara almost didn't have the heart to wake her, and with a look to Jordan, she almost walked out of the room. Looking down at her hands though, and she decided she might as well continue with this. No sense letting them go to waste.

"Ami, wake up. Ami." Amara gently shook Ami, trying to wake her up without disturbing the other sleeping people in the room.

"Huh, what time is it?" Ami groggily began to rub the sleep from her eyes as she looked around for a clock.

Amara chuckled softly as she stood back. "Almost four in the morning, but it's not important. I believe you need one of these, right?"

Ami continued to blink the sleep from her eyes, as she stared at what Amara was holding out to her. It took a few moments for them to register in her mind.

"Are those the spines from the Devourer? How did you, where did you?"

Ami looked up at Amara as she quickly stood up, and took the offered spines.

"I was out riding, trying to blow off some steam, when the thing started to chase a little girl across a road." She shrugged, leaving what happened next to Ami's imagination. "It's what you needed, right? Some of the spines, so you had fresh toxin to use?"

Ami nodded her head as she reached for her mini-computer. She quickly pulled up a program, and placed one of the spines on the screen. She set it aside, before looking down at Jordan.

A corner of the blanket covering him had slipped, and she carefully put it back in place. Amara rolled her eyes at it.

"I'm going to find a place to crash. I think you could use something to drink. No use for you to fall asleep now."

Ami nodded her head at the suggestion. "I believe everyone else is sleeping in the spare room next door. Rae is in here to help me if something happens, and Lita is just worried about the both of us." She smiled as she looked over at the two. "I think I'll go make some more hot tea. Would you like any Amara?"

She shook her head as she started to head for the spare room to sleep. "Nah. I think I'm just going to get some sleep. Let me know if something happens."

Ami watched her go, before looking down at the pale faced Jordan. "Wow. She was polite while being in the same room as you. Guess even she gives some rest to people."

She checked the computer before leaving to go fix that tea.

* * *

Jordan continued to live through one memory after another. After the arrival of the two Princesses, nothing was the same. Haruka's sole purpose in life seemed to be to make things as difficult for possible for him.

Nothing that could ever be proven of course. No, she was too smart for that.

Things became even worse still, once he completed his training under the dutiful eye of his training instructor.

The Queen instituted a new defense program for the Outer Planets. She established new patrol routes, and decided to have The Princesses take an active role in the defense of the Kingdom. And since he didn't have a planet of his own anymore, the Queen decided to include Jorowyn in these plans. It wouldn't have been so bad really, if she hadn't decided to give him the role of Leader.

He tried for years to get her to make either Haruka, or Michiru the Leader for the small group, but she never relented. He was forced to seek other means of being away from the two, or at least Princess Haruka. Staying on the Moon wasn't an option anymore either.

The other Princesses had all grown up as well, and had even begun their own training. Princess Amira in particular, had less and less time to spend with him. When they were all sent back to their Home planets to complete their training, he no longer had anyone to talk to, other that Princess Serenity. And even she had duties, and problems of her own to deal with. Being engaged to the Earth Prince, who she hated, being at the top of the list.

There was only one duty that he found that was both fun and stress relieving. Being the Delegate to Saturn. Due to the violent nature of the planet, and the space surrounding it, the Teleporters to it were rarely functioning, and ships never landed on the planet. Due his powers as a Senshi though, he could easily traverse the Teleporters, even when they wouldn't normally function.

It was there, that he met the young Princess of Saturn.

Not much as looks went, but then again, she was only eight years old. He had no doubt that she would grow up to be a very powerful ruler. She was already marked with the Star Seed of Saturn. Something that frighten most of the kingdom. There hadn't been a bearer for the Saturn Star Seed, since before Queen Serenity was born. And the last one, died in a tragic battle with a demonic creature from another system.

Jorowyn, however, never saw a problem. He was eager to play with the child, and to discuss matters with her parents whenever possible. In her, he saw the little sister he had been denied, and the joy he lost with his cousins and his planet.

It all changed though when They began appearing. Apparently, the Queen had known they would, and that was her reason for altering the patrol routes, and putting Jorowyn in charge.

Soul Devourers began appearing on all the planets. In small numbers at first, but quickly multiplying. The three Senshi quickly found themselves traveling from planet to planet exterminating them. The only places they never had to travel to were the Moon itself, Earth, and Saturn. All three seemed to be spared their ravages, but in return, Jupiter bore their brunt.

It seemed, for every five trips they made, they were always going to Jupiter or one of it's moons three of those times.

Jordan continued to watch in his mute capacity, as his past life went from one tragic scene to another, blissfully stopping before his final mission.

* * *

Jordan felt himself come to slowly. He knew he was still in the place between his dreams, and consciousness, but something was different.

Looking around, he saw Jorowyn nearby. And from the looks of things, he wouldn't be there much longer.

"Why the Hell are you transparent? You better not be about to sacrifice yourself."

Jorowyn was in deed transparent, and as he turned to face Jordan, his form began to flicker. "I'm sorry you feel the way you do about me, but yes. I am about to do so. Amara did manage to bring the samples, but it's too late I'm afraid."

"Too late? You're still around, so there must be some time left."

Jorowyn shook his head. "The anti-toxin from it will help, and Ami is about to finish it as we speak. However, it has already been in the body too long. It is in too many vital organ, for the toxin to fully be destroyed. I must continue with my original plans."

Jordan made his way over on wobbly feet, and tried to grab onto Jorowyn's clothing. His hands passed through him though, and he fell forward, and onto his knees.

"Damn it! Will you quite being a martyr, and just let me die. There is no sense in this. Just let me die, so you can come back and haunt some later incarnation."

"You know that isn't possible. I wasn't included in the Queens spell. The only reason I'm here now, is because of what I had Pluto do. Our three souls were sent into the future. We never actually died. If we do die as Senshi, we won't be reincarnated like the others have been. The Star Seed will reform again, given time, but my memories and powers will be lost anyway. At least this way, they will continue on in you in some way."

Jordan rolled over onto his back, and refused to look at Jorowyn anymore. "Then get on with it. Kill yourself, and get it over with. The sooner you're gone, the sooner I can go out and find the real Floran, and hopefully get myself killed."

Jorowyn began walking away, slowly fading as he went. "You won't do any such thing, and you know it. You care too much for them, to leave them to deal with what you went through. You wouldn't dare break your sister's heart."

Jordan continued to stare at nothing, as Jorowyn's voice faded away with the rest of his body. He began to feel consciousness coming to him, and tried to close out the final words that he heard.

"You will live, and one day, you will be alive again."

* * *

Ami carefully injected the anti-toxin into Jordan's arm. Her computer began to beep almost immediately.

The others stood nearby, waiting to see if it would work. This was Jordan's last hope, and they all knew it.

Amara stood at the back, leaning against the wall. She tried to pretend like she didn't care, but everyone already knew that she had brought back the spines and that if Jordan lived, it would be because she actually had a heart. Something she was rather flustered about at the moment.

Ami continued to monitor Jordan's vitals. For a while, all they showed was a slight decreased in the amount of toxin in his body. After a few minutes though, his life signs began to steadily improve. They stopped though, well short of him being in the safe zone.

She began to worry, as the vitals began dropping again. There was nothing she could do, and she knew it. She had failed, and Jordan was going to die.

When she put the computer on the table, and dropped her head, everyone else knew it as well.

Serena put her arms around Ami, and gave her a comforting hug. "You did everything you could Ami. It was just too much. No one is going to blame you."

She began to burst into tears as she spoke to Ami, and eventually, everyone was either all out wailing like Mina, or shedding a few tears like Amara.

No one noticed the feint glow from Jordan's Pendant, or the slight twitching in his fingers. It wasn't until her computer started to beep frantically, that Ami even noticed that something was happening.

She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, so she could read the display, and she almost started crying again.

Jordan vitals quickly rising to the safety zones, and all traces of the toxin were gone from his body. There was no clear indication of why, but the computer had picked up a trace of life energy suddenly infusing Jordan's body.

"He's alive. He. He's going to be fine. The scan shows that all the toxin is gone, and that his body is starting to heal itself."

Ami finally did start crying again, but in a much different tone that before. Rae and Mina found themselves being crushed in a hug from Lita, and Michelle leaned her head on Amara's shoulder.

In one of her few moments of insight, Serena gave Ami a quick hug, before gesturing everyone out of the room, herself included.

"I think we should leave the doctor with her patient."

Everyone eyed her for a moment, but they all did leave, heading for the kitchen to get something to drink and eat. What a night.

Ami got out of the chair, and knealed down on the floor next to the bed. She grabbed Jordan's hand, and held onto it for dear life. She hadn't realized until right then, that she had actually started to feel something for Jordan. The thought of loosing him, before being able to tell him, was almost unbearable.

But, he was fine now and as soon as he woke up, she could tell him.


	12. Chapter 11 Acceptance

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 11: Acceptance

By: Ginsan

It was like trying to swim against a current.

Jordan continued to fight against what was happening, but he was loosing. He could feel consciousness approaching, and he didn't want it. Even now, all he wanted to do was die.

Except for things he could count on one hand, there was nothing for him in this world anymore.

Ever sense what had happened to him back in L. A.,he had been living through events as everyone had wanted him to. He'd lost his Best Friend, and been shot by the person he considered to be a friend. Everyone had expected him to be fine, like nothing had happened. His parents were the worst of all. His Father had begun to push him towards being a member of the corporation, and his Mother can pushed him back into the modeling business. Both had said it would help, and both had been wrong. At least his mother had finally relented, and allowed him to do things his own way, instead of pushing harder.

As far as Jordan was concerned, the past week or so had been fun, but nothing that he could count as wanting to do again. Especially where pain was concerned. Within the past year, he had had more than his fair share of it. 

He continued to fight against waking up, but in the end it was a loosing battle. He was forced to awaken after all.

* * *

Ami continued to hold onto Jordan's hand. Even though she had fallen asleep, nothing would make her let go.

Jordan's eyes slowly opened, and he hissed in pain, as he began to pick up the various feelings his body was sending him. He glanced down at his hand, to see why it wouldn't move.

"Could you please let go of my hand." When he got nothing more than a soft moan, he tried to yank his hand out of her grasp, with little success. "This is pathetic." He tried to use his free hand to pry hers off, and met the same result. "I can't even pry her off. Damn it."

Jordan fell back onto his pillow, and before he knew it, he was asleep again.

* * *

He awoke again sometime later, and it took him a moment to figure out where he was. He was still in the guest room, but it looked like he was alone this time. He could move his hands freely now at least. He sat up slowly, and cautiously looked around the room. Other than Ami's computer still sitting on the table, there was no sign of anybody else in the room.

He tried to get out of the bed, but as soon as he stood up, he got dizzy and tripped over the chair near the bed. He hissed in pain, and the noise quickly brought people into the room. 

Ami rushed over to him, and tried to help him back to the bed. He waved her off as he slowly stood back up. He glared at everyone in the room, before righting the chair and sitting in it.

"Obviously, I've recovered, and so has Ami. Now, if you would ALL kindly get out of my house. I would appreciate the restoration of what passes for peace and quite around here."

No one moved for several seconds, but most of them quickly scurried from the room, as Jordan began to fix each of them with a baleful glare. Finally, the only ones left, were Lita, and Ami. He continued to stare at them for several minutes, but neither one relented. He finally gave in with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. If the two of you are going to stay, you might as well make yourselves useful." He glanced at the clock on the wall, and grimaced. "My Mother and sister will be home tomorrow. I wasn't exactly planning to have the whole lot of you over here, or I wouldn't have sent the maid home. I'd advise cleaning up whatever messes may be laying around the house. I'm sure Serena's left at least half a dozen. Make sure you get rid of the blood stains on the floor. I'd rather the maid didn't find them, and report it to my Mother."

He slowly started to stand up, bracing himself on the back of the chair. When he felt steady, and after giving Ami a couple of glares when she tried to help, he started walking towards the door.

"As for me, I'm going up to my room. It wouldn't do for my family to see me in this state, and a decent sleep will help me recover enough to heal myself." He paused, as he leaned against the door frame. "You two might as well stay for dinner. You can order something with the money in the jar in the kitchen, or you can cook yourselves."

With that, he walked out of the door, and headed for his room. He had to stop several times along the way to steady himself, and cursed himself for it each time he did it.

Ami tried to go after him, but Lita blocked her way.

"I don't think it'd be such a good idea to go after him. You'll get your chance to talk to him later. For now, I think we should clean up our mess. Last time I ever try and let Serena try to make more than one cup of hot chocolate."

Ami smiled slightly at that, as she followed Lita out of the room, and towards the kitchen. Yes, Serena could be a handful in the kitchen.

* * *

Jordan could hear the girls moving around downstairs. Hopefully, they were cleaning up the mess. And if they were doing that, then they'd be leaving him alone, at least for a while.

He settled himself on his bed, and stared up at the ceiling. A poster of the L.A. skyline greeted him, and he continued to look at it. It always seemed to calm him, but today, all it did was annoy him. Instead of remembering the good times he had there, all he could remember was that night. The night when Ron had utterly destroyed his life. Instead of dealing with the feelings and memories that the poster was giving him, he rolled over to stare at the blank wall instead.

Blank and empty. Just like what he kept trying to make himself. Every time he let himself start to feel for someone or something, all he would get in return was pain. This latest fiasco was further proof. He'd allowed Ami to get too close, and had ended up getting both of them almost killed because of it. Getting himself killed, he didn't really care about. But the fact that someone innocent had almost been killed. Well, that just showed how dangerous it was to even know him.

Staring at the wall, and lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that the sounds from downstairs had ceased, or that there was a gentle knock on his door. The knock repeated again, before the door was slowly opened.

Ami peeked her head inside the room. She spotted Jordan on his bed, with his back to her. She opened the door the rest of the way, and walked in with a small tray of food.

"Jordan, are you awake?"

When she didn't get a response, she sighed and walked over to his desk. She placed the tray of food on it, and with a look of regret, she left the room. She had wanted to talk to him, but she couldn't do it when he was asleep.

Jordan rolled over as soon as the door closed. After a few minutes, to make sure that it wasn't going to open again, he looked over at the tray of food. A couple of sandwiches, and a glass of water. A closer look at the sandwiches revealed them to be Peanut Butter, Banana Fluff.

After a moments hesitation, Jordan reached for one, and slowly began eating it. He managed to eat about half of it, before he set it down. He took a few sips from the water as well, to wash the peanut butter from his mouth. Seeing that it at least looked like he had tried eating, Jordan rolled back over, and stared at the wall again.

Blank, and empty. Somehow, he had to make himself into a hollow shell again. Allowing feelings and emotions inside wasn't doing anything but causing further pain. With a promise to himself to find a way of cutting off his emotions, he found himself back at the desk, eating the rest of the sandwiches.

After realizing what he'd just done, a disgusted Jordan dropped back on his bed, and looked back at the wall. Plans slowly began forming in his head as he began to drift off to sleep. It would all be so easy. Just pretend his emotions didn't exist.

* * *

Ami sighed, as she helped Lita clean up the last of the mess in the kitchen. She still hadn't been able to talk to Jordan. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost think that he was avoiding her. Taking out her frustration on a stubborn counter stain, she didn't notice when Lita began asking her something.

She blinked down at her empty hand for a few seconds, before she realized that Lita had snatched the rag from her.

"Got your attention now I see. You feeling alright? Not like you to space out like that. And, I think the stain is finally dead."

Ami blushed slightly, as looked away from Lita.

"Sorry. I guess I'm still not quite myself. I think I just need some more sleep."

Lita smiled, before tossing the rag into the sink.

"Then go rest in the guest room. I'd stick around, but I've got an appointment in the morning for a possible Job. I've got to get home, and make sure I have everything ready. If you need me, just give me a call."

Ami smiled meekly at her, before nodding her head.

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck."

Ami turned, and left the kitchen, headed for the other guest room. Lita watched her go, and smiled. It was good to see that she was going to be OK.

For a while there, they had all thought they had lost their friend. Luckily, it seemed like Jordan had managed to find a way to not only save her, but also other victims of Soul Devourers.

Lita quickly finished cleaning the rest of the Kitchen, before grabbing her things, and letting herself out. Today looked like it was going to be a good one.

* * *

Ami yawned as she sat up in bed. She was amazed at how much better she felt now, than she had last night. A good nights sleep was exactly what she needed.

She quickly took a shower, and changed her clothes, before heading to the kitchen. Since she didn't hear anyone moving around downstairs, she assumed that Jordan wasn't awake yet. She'd make breakfast, and take it up to him. It'd be the perfect opportunity to finally talk to him.

* * *

Jordan felt himself rising up to consciousness once again. He knew it was futile to fight it, but he tried anyway. The darkness was nice, but the light still wouldn't let it claim him. Not yet.

Wearily, Jordan allowed himself to wake up. As he did, he noticed a smell in the air for the first time. It took him a moment to place it, his mind still hazy from the clutches of oblivion.

Waffles. Fresh made waffles. Even though he wanted to deny how much he wanted them, his stomach began to growl. Just as began to criticize his body for it's weakness, the door to his room opened after a soft knock.

Ami entered the room, carrying a plate of waffles and a glass of milk, on a carefully balanced tray. There was also a large bottle of syrup on it.

"Good morning. I thought you might like a good breakfast after what you've been through."

Jordan sincerely wished that he could be sleeping again. Waking up, was one thing. Waking up to a cheerful girl, bringing him breakfast in bed, was quite another. Still, he couldn't quite bring himself to yell at her to leave.

"How can you be so Damned cheerful this early? It's not even noon yet."

Ami's steps faltered slightly, bit she managed to place the tray on the desk without mishap.

"Sorry Mr Grouchy. I was just trying to thank you. I'll leave you alone."

She turned away, and started out the door. A tear started it's way down her cheek.

Jordan tried to remember his promise from the night before, but something just wouldn't let him be like that around her.

"Come back." Ami paused, but didn't turn around. "Like you said, I'm grumpy in the morning. It's too early for me. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Sit."

Even though the last word sounded more like a command than an offer, Ami turned around and sat at the desk.

They stared at each other for several moments, before Jordan finally pointed at the tray of food and distracted a slightly blushing Ami.

"Are you going to hand me the tray, or do I just get to smell it?"

Embarrassed, Ami grabbed the tray, and handed it to Jordan. He quickly grabbed the syrup bottle and drenched the waffles with it. With an eagerness he wished he didn't have, he quickly began eating the waffles.

Ami watched on in amazement, as Jordan devoured the waffles. He was almost as bad as Serena. When he finally finished, and sucked a last drop of syrup from his finger, Ami couldn't help but laugh.

Jordan stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly was so funny.

"And just what, pray tell, is so Damned funny?"

Ami finally stopped laughing, and pointed towards his face.

"You. You have syrup and waffles all over your face. You should see yourself."

Jordan frowned, and tried to be angry at her for laughing at him. But, her laughter seemed to be calming to him, not allowing him to get angry at her. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed a napkin, and began to clean the mess off of his face.

By the time he had finished, Ami had managed to stop laughing, and had set the empty tray of food aside. She sat there in silence for a few minutes, while Jordan continued to stare at her. She finally worked up her courage to talk to him.

"Jordan. I. Thank you for saving me. I don't know how I could ever possibly thank you enough. And, I also wanted to tell you something."

Ami was silent for several minutes, having lost the courage she had built up for this. She suddenly found herself unable to tell him her feelings, now that he was awake and looking at her. Jordan interrupted her before she could get it back.

"Look, I did my job. I made a vow a long time ago that I would find a way to restore the victims of Soul Devourers. You just happened to be my first success. There is no need to get all gushy, and thankful. Now, if you don't mind, I'm still tired and I want to sleep some more."

He laid back on the bed and rolled over, ignoring the hurt expression on her face.

Trying to keep back the tears Jordan's harsh statement caused, Ami quickly gathered the dishes, and fled from the room. Jordan grunted to himself, once he heard the door slam closed behind her.

He didn't know where that sentimental crap came from she was about to spout at him, and he was glad that he had managed to cut her off in time. He continued to stare at the blank wall, trying to empty his head. Empty head, empty feelings. He let her slip through, but it wasn't going to happen again.

* * *

Ami was gone, when Jordan finally came down from his room. The house was still silent, so he guessed his Mother and Sister weren't back from their trip yet.

"Probably stopped somewhere to buy more anime. Like the brat doesn't have enough."

Jordan made his way to the kitchen, intent on grabbing a soda from the fridge. He paused at the door, when he spotted a note attached with a magnet. He took it off the fridge, and read it. It took a moment, since some of the words were blurred by what he assumed to be tears.

'Jordan. I had to go home and get dinner started for my Mother. I left my number if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll see you at school tomorrow.'

Jordan sighed, as he wadded up the note, and tossed it into the trash. She was really starting to get on his nerves. He grabbed a soda from the fridge, and went back up to his room. As he began climbing the stairs, he heard the car finally pull up outside.

"Finally. Now to get out of here, before they start spewing about the trip."

He quickly made it up to his room, and locked the door behind himself. He finished off the soda, and tossed it into his trash. He sat at his desk, and worked on the homework he hadn't been able to do since this whole fiasco had started.

As he worked, thoughts about the way he had treated Ami popped up. He quickly squashed them down, but they just kept coming back. With an exasperated sigh, he slammed the text book closed and dropped back onto his bed.

He pulled his pillow over his head, hoping to drown out the annoying voice of what was left of his conscience. He completely missed the faint glow coming from his pendant, laying on the corner of the desk.

* * *

Jordan stood in a hazy fog. He wasn't sure where he was, but guessed that he was probably stuck in his dream scape again.

"I thought you finally croaked. Why am I here again?"

"Because, you need to wake up."

Jordan spun around, to confront the owner of the familiar voice. His eyes widened in shock, as someone stepped out of the fog.

"How the Hell? This is impossible."

The figure smirked, and gestured at himself.

"Normally, yes, but you are doing this to yourself. True, Jorowyn is gone, at least for a while. However, someone needs to kick your ass. So, as your best friend, that task falls upon me."

The figure stepped fully out of the fog, and stood staring at Jordan. Other than a few minor differences, he looked nearly identical. 

"What do you want Z? Haven't I been tortured enough by my past?"

Z smirked, as he poked Jordan in the chest.

"Simply put. No. So long as you keep treating people this way, you deserve exactly what you get out of it. So I died, killed by a bastard we thought was a friend. That doesn't give you an excuse to never have another friend, much less try to piss off the entire world." He poked Jordan with each sentence, knocking him back, one step at a time. "All you're doing right now, is alienating yourself from the people that want to help you. Yes, life was bad back in the Moon Kingdom, but you also had good times. If it wasn't for you, as soon as she was born, the Princess of Saturn would probably have been sealed away to keep her powers from threatening everyone. Through your counsel with the Queen, and continued visits and stays with her, you kept her from being a problem. Thanks to you, she had a life. And she has one now. Yes, you lost almost all of your family, but you gained a new one."

Z stopped poking Jordan, and allowed him to look where he was now. Behind him, the ground disappeared, leaving him standing at the edge of a cliff.

"And due to this attitude you've developed since my death, you're in serious danger of making everything that happened back then, and what they have accomplished now, worthless. If you go off and kill yourself, or cut yourself off from the world like you want, what happens to those who count on you? What happens to your sister without you to protect her? What happens to Frannie back in the States, when you abandon her in that asylum? And what happens to the girls, when you leave them without any information about what they're about to face."

Jordan began sputtering, trying to find a way to say that none of it was his responsibility, that he could care less. But here, inside his own head, such a denial was a hard thing to do.

"And what happens to Ami? You might as well admit, that you've started to like the girl. Technically, you've liked her ever since she was nice to you after Phaeton's destruction. She likes you to, as you well know. She's been trying to admit it to you, and herself, but you keep stopping from doing so. Why? Are you afraid that she'll actually crack that shell of ice you call a heart? Well, get over it. You can't keep living in a shell, no matter how much you'd like to. And, to help you with the decision, I think you need a glimpse of just what the future holds, if you go out like a schmuck and get yourself killed."

With that, Z shoved Jordan, knocking him off the cliff.

Jordan fell down into the darkness hopelessly trying to find something to hold.

As soon as he was out of sight, Z's form began shifting. The hair darkened slightly, and lengthened. His clothing changed into a soft green outfit, with silver trim. Frowning down into the darkness, and listening to Jordan's screams, Jorowyn sighed.

"I'm sorry I had to do that to you, but I couldn't think of anything else that would get through to you. Maybe, faced with what might happen, you'll finally snap out of this self induced misery."

Jordan's screams echoed in the darkness for a while before they finally died out, leaving Jorowyn's now faint form standing alone.

"This really is farewell Jordan. Goodbye."

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Jordan woke up screaming, and it took him several moments before his foggy brain finally managed to stop the scream. He stayed sitting up in bed, taking deep breaths, as he remembered what had caused the scream in the first place.

After he had fallen down into the darkness, he'd begun to see visions. More horrible than any he'd ever had awake. At first, they were normal. Visions of Soul Devourers taking Soul Gems. Then, they gradually became worse. Not content with taking the Gems, they began killing people. One or two at a time, and eventually whole crowds. He watched, as one by one, each of the Scouts fell prey to them. At the last, even Neptune, and Uranus were killed, going down under a seemingly endless assault of Devourers. Mercury and Moon were the last. Even though he had never seen the Devourer that killed them, he knew who she was all too well. The final vision, was the one that woke him up screaming. His sister, slowly being ripped apart, crying his name until her throat was finally ripped out.

He placed his hands on his forehead, trying to get the last vestiges of the visions out. The accompanying headache wasn't helping.

He slowly got up out of bed and headed towards his bathroom, hoping that a hot shower might help things. A glance at his alarm clock revealed that it was four o'clock in the morning. With a groan, he headed for the shower, and hopefully, an end to whatever was trying to crack his skull open.

Half an hour later, Jordan re-emerged from his bathroom and feeling only marginally better. He still had a headache, but not nearly as bad as before the shower. He quickly got dressed, and headed downstairs. If nothing else, he could get a work out in before needing another shower before school. And maybe, he could work out what he had seen in the visions.

* * *

Ami arrived early for Mr. Hijira's class, only to find Jordan already there. And apparently, asleep. His head was down on his desk, and facing towards the wall.

Not wanting to wake him, and possibly having him create a scene in the middle of class, Ami quietly took her seat. The rest of the class eventually filed in, along with Mr. Hijira.

As soon as the teacher placed his things on the desk, Jordan sat up. Ami managed to get a look at his face before she began on her notes. He looked better than he had yesterday, but he still didn't look like himself. She decided to wait after class to talk to him.

Class droned on as usual, Ami taking notes and Jordan apparently, doing homework. As class ended, Jordan began gathering his things up as Ami leaned over to talk to him.

"Jordan. Can I talk to you?"

Jordan paused for a moment, before putting his notes into his Chem book and standing up.

"Meet me on the roof during lunch."

Before she could say anything else, Jordan was up, and out the back door of the classroom.

* * *

Lunch time arrived, and Ami found herself waiting on the roof for Jordan. He arrived a few minutes after her. He headed over towards his corner and placed his lunch box down, opening it, and pulling out a sandwich. He quietly began eating it as Ami sat down nearby and watched him eat. After several minutes, Jordan finally put the sandwich down and stared at her.

"Well? So what do you want? You are the one who wanted to talk to me."

Ami blushed slightly, and Jordan had to fight down a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Z's, saying she looked cute when she did that.

"Sorry. I wanted to make sure you were alright. You didn't look so good during Mr. Hijira's class."

"I'm fine. Just had a bad dream last night. Now what did you really want to talk about?"

Jordan began eating his sandwich again, waiting for her to finally get to it.

"I. I know you told me to stop thanking you, but I can't. And please, let me finish this time." She paused a moment and took a deep breath, some of her blush coming back. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't saved me. And I wish I knew of a way to thank you. When you collapsed, and started dying, I realized something, Jordan. I like you. A lot. I wanted you to know, and I want to get to know you better. But, you make it so hard. Yelling at people, and cutting them down. What do you have against other people? I know what happened to you back in the States. I understand that would make anyone cynic, but this is more than that. It's almost like you want everyone to hate you. Why?"

Jordan remained silent, as he finished the last bite of his sandwich. He pulled a soda from the box, and took a few sips.

"There is a very simple reason for why I saved you. You saved my life, and that of my sister, when you chased off that Soul Devourer. If you hadn't, we both would probably have been victims. I was returning the favor you gave us." He paused, and frowned as though he was upset at something. "As for you liking me, that's entirely your choice. How you could is beyond me. And yes, I am an asshole on purpose. I don't want people getting close to me." A glazed look crossed his eyes as he spoke the next part. "Everyone who ever gets close to me, or that I get close to, gets hurt. It happened repeatedly in the past, it happened to Z, and it happened to you. I never should have let you even talk to me. All it did was make you a target."

Jordan stopped and stared down at the ground, his face still distant. After several minutes of silence he began speaking again, his voice barely audible.

"I personally have nothing against the world, though it seems to despise me. First, I lost my family, and everyone I knew when Phaeton was destroyed. From that, all I had was a life of misery while I was on the Moon. I was gone so often, because I couldn't stand to live with everyone's pity, or in some cases, hatred. When I was off on assignment, I was allowed to be myself, to do what I wanted. I didn't have to be the polite little Prince of Phaeton, the ridiculed ruler of a non-existent planet. I didn't have to worry about the pressure to give a polite smile to everyone, and pretend not to know they hated me for what happened to their families. I was able to be free, and alone. No one else's thoughts. No one else's opinions. Just myself.

"Here in the present, I'm betrayed by someone I thought was a very good friend, and I loose the single most important person to me. I watch as my life crumbles around me and I'm expected to keep a straight face, all because of who my parents are. I've only recently managed to get the damned paparazzi to quit trailing me and my sister. I have obligations I'm forced to accomplish. I come here only to be surrounded by suspicion and mockery. All before I've even said one word. I find, that even though I didn't want it back, my past was thrust upon me once again, complete with every single memory that made it Hell. Forgive me if I'm cynical. It happens when everything I touch turns to dust or bites me."

His eyes had lost the distant look, and were now filled with a burning anger. He stood up and tossed his empty soda into the box.

"Maybe if I didn't have to deal with two lives worth of misery and threats, I wouldn't be so cruel and mean to people. Sadly, I have to. So the rest of you can just deal with it, or pretend I don't exist. I'd rather it was the later. That way, everything would be just the same now as then."

He began moving towards the stairwell, and opened the door. He turned back to look at her.

"I don't want you coming over to the house again. It just makes you that more tempting of a target. I wish life would leave me alone so that I could do what I wanted to, but it's not going to happen. Goodbye Ami."

He disappeared down the stairwell, and left a very confused Ami sitting on the ledge. That goodbye had sounded almost final. She shivered, as she felt a chill run up her spine. 

* * *

"It was creepy. The way he said it. He sounded like he was never going to see us again. I think he's going to do something."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Probably just the Jerk's way of trying to get you to stay away from him." Lita paused as she looked around for a drying rag. "I'm sure you'll see him in class tomorrow. Can you check the oven for me? I think the muffins are done."

Lita continued to wash dishes in her sink, while Ami checked the muffins for her. Sure enough, they were ready. She grabbed an oven mitt and carefully pulled the muffins out of the stove. She placed them on the counter before resuming her conversation with Lita.

"I don't know. I still it was more than that. He sounded like he really didn't want me to get hurt again."

Ami grew silent, as she thought over her conversation with Jordan again. She stared at one of the walls, trying to find since in what had happened.

"So you really think he's going to do something?"

"Uh huh."

"Hmm. Maybe he's going to go after that thing that attacked you?"

"Uh huh."

Lita turned around to look at her. Ami was off in her own little world, and probably didn't even know what she'd been asking her. Only one way to find out. A grin spread across her face as she leaned back against the counter.

"So, are you in love with Jordan?"

"Uh huh. No, I didn't mean. Lita, you're mean."

Ami's face was covered in crimson, as she blushed furiously. Apparently, Lita had caught her after all.

"Hah, caught yah. Day dreaming about what it's like to kiss him, huh?"

"Lita, how dare you. Stop teasing me. I wasn't paying attention, and you know it."

"Oh, I think you were paying attention alright. Just not to me."

She grabbed the muffins and began placing them in a basket as she continued to tease Ami.

"If you didn't mean it, then how come you're blushing so badly? Answer me that one?"

Ami could only sputter, as her blush managed to deepen.

Lita put the last of the muffins in the basket and began walking out of the kitchen, lightly pushing Ami ahead of her.

"Oh, just admit you like the guy and get it over with."

Ami continued to sputter objections at Lita, who just continued to laugh as the two left the apartment.

"Admit it, and I'll stop."

"I will not admit anything. I don't like Jordan like that."

"Ah hah! You just admitted that you do like him."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

* * *

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"What are you two arguing about?"

Ami and Lita paused, and looked around. Apparently, they had argued the entire way to the Temple and hadn't even realized it. Rae, Mina, and Serena continued to look at them, waiting for one of them to answer Rae's question.

A look of horror crossed Ami's face when she saw the smirk on Lita's.

"Oh, nothing. Just that Ami here has fallen in love with Jordan."

Ami's blush returned as the other three girls started at her. Slowly, matching grins crossed their faces. Before Ami knew what had happened, all three girls had grabbed her and forced her to sit at the table. Mina grabbed a nearby lamp and shinned the light down on poor Ami.

"Time to spill. What's this all about?"

Serena and Rae nodded eagerly at Mina's question, while Lita pretended not to notice Ami's death glare. Or at least as much of one as she could give, considering how badly she was blushing.

It took a while, and the entire basket of muffins, but the other girls eventually got the story of the roof-top conversation out of Ami. By the end of it, Ami was several shades of red and wasn't looking anyone in the eyes. At the end though, Rae agreed with Ami. Jordan was up to something.

They didn't have long to wait.

Before anyone else could make a comment, their communicator's went off. Ami quickly leapt at the distraction and switched hers on.

A frantic looking Luna came onto the screen.

"Girls, this is an emergency. We think he's really going to do it."

Ami motioned for Luna to calm down.

"Easy Luna. Who's going to do what?"

"Jordan. He's up on Star Light Tower. And, it looks like he's going to jump. One of you has to come and talk him out of it."


	13. Chapter 12 Floran's Last Stand

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 12: Floran's Last Stand

By: Ginsan

"Exactly how long are you two going to watch me, anyway?" Jordan mused acidly, while glaring down at the two Mauians who were currently sitting on the top platform of the tower.

He'd been up here for an hour now, slowly walking around the tower on it's safety rail. 'Luckily', the power to the Tower's lighting systems was mysteriously malfunctioning on the top levels. No one down on the ground could see him.

Unfortunately for him, however, Mauians had better vision than most humans.

"As long as it takes for you not to jump. Seriously, what will jumping off here do anyway?"

Jordan spun around on one heel to stare Artemis in the eye.

"Look. I figure, I have about a fifty/fifty chance here. If you hapless fleabags can spot me up here, then so can those miserable Devourers."

"So that's what this has all been about then? Getting the attention of the Soul Devourers?"

At the sound of the softly melodic voice, Jordan spun around again, this time to be confronted with last person he wanted to see.

Ami was standing in the doorway of the stairwell. He couldn't make out her face though. This was partially due to the darkness he had created by taking out the lights, and partly because her bangs were covering her eyes as she stared steadily at the ground.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded harshly. "I thought I told you to stay away from me."

Ami continued to stare at the ground, while her right hand slowly clenched into a fist. 

"You told me this," she suddenly spat, voice gone soft and hissing. "You told me that. Do this Ami, do that Ami. Damn it Jordan. What is wrong with you? I want to help you, but you keep trying to chase me off." She finally looked up at him, and he could see the tears flowing down her face. And the look of anger in her eyes. "Why do you have to play the hero all the time? Would it really hurt so much to work with us instead of ridiculing and cutting us down all the time? I love you Damn it. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Jordan finally stopped his pacing and hopped down onto the landing. Though he was loathe to admit it, he could hear the cracks forming in his shell. To him, it was like hearing his own death knell. Jordan stared into her eyes for a pained moment, then abruptly turned away again and gazed out at the city.

"I'm sorry if I've hurt you," he muttered, then. "I never planned for any of you to even know what I was going to do tonight. I just don't want any of you to be hurt again." He was quiet a moment more as he stared out at the lights before them, then he turned back to her again. "I didn't want you hurt again."

Jordan never saw it coming.

One moment he was looking at her and in the next breath he was sitting on his butt and rubbing his jaw.

Ami towered over him, her fists still clenched tight. One of the knuckles bled down the finger of her right hand as she slowly began clutching her fists so hard they trembled.

"How dare you! We've been risking our lives to save this planet long before you showed up! Who the hell are you to decide that we shouldn't be involved?" She opened her eyes then, and glared down at him. "We're going to go on fighting whether you like the idea or not. But just think on this for a second, Jordan. If one of us happens to get hurt--or worse--because you decided not to be a Team player, it'll all be your fault. We don't know half as much about what we're facing as you seem to. But we're going to keep on fighting because that's what we do. We help people. Especially those who can't defend themselves." She shook her head then, expression disgusted. "I hope you can live with yourself, if something really does happen. I know I couldn't. Luna, Artemis, we're leaving."

Not wanting to argue, the two cats just followed her silently down the stairs.

Jordan remained where he was for several minutes after she left, still cradling his bruised jaw with a derisive expression on his face.

"Nice going jackass," he muttered scathingly. The teen finally stood up then, and turned back to the vista of Tokyo. It looked like the whole night was a bust now. Not only had his target not shown up, but the girl he wanted the most to keep out of harm's way just showed him the error of his ways. In nearly the most painful way possible. At that thought Jordan smirked. "Gotta admit though, she sure has one Hell of a right hook. Must be learning from Amara. "

Maybe it would be a good idea to go home now, and try again later. After all, there where other ways to try and flush out Floran.

* * *

Ami stormed down the stairs, not really paying attention to where she was. All she wanted was to get far away from the roof.

Away from Jordan.

Luna and Artemis exchanged glances as they followed her down the stairs. Neither one of them had ever seen her this mad. They needed to get her calmed down quickly, before she injured herself.

Artemis decided he'd try first. "Ami, you need to slow down. If you keep running down the stairs like this, you're going to hurt yourself."

Ami glared down at the white cat, as he ran beside her. "You know what? I don't care. Just leave me alone."

Ami ran even faster down the stairs.

Luna and Artemis raced after her. The further they went, the worse the sinking feeling in their guts became. Especially as they began running out of breath, and Ami began pulling ahead of them. Halfway down the tower, their fears for Ami were realized.

Ami's right foot come down on the stairs she was taking two at a time. As she swung her left foot around for the next step, she over extended. Thrown off balance, she grabbed frantically for the safety rail. Unfortunately, she grabbed it with her right hand. The blood still covering her hand made it slippery, and she slipped again.

She went down hard, slamming her left knee into a step on the way down. Luckily though, she was right at the landing. She hit it with her shoulder then her head, before skidding up against the wall. When she finally stopped, she curled up into a ball.

Luna and Artemis finally caught up to her, and rushed to her side.

"Ami, are you alright?" Luna walked up to Ami's face, noticing the large bruise forming, and the small cut that had begun bleeding.

She didn't answer, instead beginning to cry silently. After a moment, the crying began to slowly grow louder. She began slamming her injured right hand into the metal of the landing as her sobs took on a heart wrenching intensity.

After several minutes Ami finally stopped slamming her fist into the ground, and settled into a stint of body shaking sobs. Luna and Artemis approached her cautiously. Luna gently licked Ami's hand, and both cats found themselves snatched by Ami. She pulled them close, and quietly sobbed into their fur.

At a loss for anything to do in this situation, both cats simply let Ami clutch them. As she cried, they gave her all the support and understanding they could.

After about ten minutes of this, Luna and Artemis heard footsteps slowly descending the stairs. At first they assumed it was Jordan, finally coming down from the Tower. But then they caught a whiff of the person.

Their hackles began rising, as they hissed up the stairs. Ami took notice, and tried looking up at what drew their attention. Her eyes wouldn't focus properly however, through the haze of pain and tears.

"Jordan, is that you? Just leave me alone."

A sob wracked her body, as she tried sitting up and trying to keep her clutch on the struggling cats.

"Ami, that's not Jordan. It's one of the Devourers."

"We'll try to hold it off, and you try and get away. Or at least call for help."

Ami watched as the two cats leaped from her arms, and rushed the stairs. They both leaped at the creature, claws extended.

They were both batted aside by a slender hand reaching from the shadows. Artemis ended up knocked across to the other side of the stair well. Luna was slammed into the wall, to land beside Ami.

Stepping further from the shadows, the Devourer revealed itself. And Ami's blood ran cold.

Standing close to six feet tall, the female devourer was a sight to behold. It's legs looked human, but had thorns running up the shins to end in a large spike on each knee. The feet were clawed, and actually left deep scratches in the metal as it walked, now coming close enough for Ami to hear the sound. The legs tapered up to a waist that was so thin, it was practically non-existent. From there, it swelled up into a definite feminine torso. Long, and slender arms ended in even more slender hands. Each finger tipped by what looked to be serrated leaves for nails. From it's back, sprouted the same pod things as the Devourer Puppet that had captured her several days ago. Only these seemed longer, and more developed. The body itself, was covered in a mocking imitation of a Sailor Fuku. The skirt was designed much like theirs, but made of an assortment of serrated leaves, each one seeming to be different from the rest. The bodice was form-fitting with a neckline that plunged most of the way to her waist. The 'outfit' even had vines in the back in the shape of a bow. Her face though. Ami knew that face very well.

Floran smirked down at the helpless girl, as she casually glanced at the unconscious forms of Luna and Artemis.

"Ah, such a pity. I think I broke them a bit early. I had wanted to have a bit of fun with them first. Such a shame." She smirked down at Ami as she came even closer. "Guess I'll just have to make your death last instead."

Ami didn't even have time for a scream as Floran's left hand transformed into a vine and lashed out towards her.

* * *

Jordan continued to stare off at the skyline as he pondered his next course of action. It wasn't very hard to figure what needed to be done.

First, of course, he'd have to find Ami and apologize to her. She didn't deserve to be treated the way he had treated her. Hopefully it wouldn't be too painful an experience. He'd rather avoid having to go back to the hospital again so soon.

Second order of business was finding a new way of attracting Floran. Hopefully the real one this time. These Puppets of hers were getting to be rather annoying.

He leaned up against the rail as he mused on his thoughts. He was about to start heading home, when he suddenly dropped to his knees.

Emotions ripped through his head almost faster than he could comprehend them.

Anger, mostly directed at him. Followed quickly by horror, and then an incredible amount of pain.

Before he had even realized what he was doing, Jordan was on his feet and sprinting to the stairwell. He was actually yanking the door open, when the Fear hit him.

He froze in his tracks, as the emotion of terror washed over him. After a few seconds though, the feelings simply stopped.

He blinked his eyes several times, before he was able to focus. Jordan stepped back from the door and tried to sort out what had just happened.

He knew the feelings weren't his, but whose were they? Ami's, obviously. She was the only other person around. But what had caused it, and how had it happened in the first place?

He stood for a moment, trying to sort things out. All of it lead to questions he would have to try and answer later.

"Hello Prince. Are you enjoying the view tonight?"

Jordan whipped around, looking for the source of the voice. He knew who it was of course. It was the reason he was here after all.

"Come on out Floran, and show yourself. Where are you hiding?"

"Hah. I'm not hiding. I'm simply where I'm supposed to be. Higher than you."

Jordan looked up at the top of the Tower. There, standing right on the tip, was Floran. Staring at what she clutched in one of her arms sent Jordan to levels of rage he didn't know he possessed.

Wrapped tightly in several vines, Ami hung limply in Floran's grasp. She was conscious, but the glazed look in her eyes was evidence of the amount of pain she was in.

"Stooping to using hostages again I see. Afraid to fight me without a handicap you cowardly bitch?"

Floran laughed as she stared down at him. "Hardly, little Prince. I'm simply following orders. I'm giving you a choice."

Floran held Ami out at arms length, while a blade formed of leaves, appeared in her other hand.

"A simple matter really. Join the Queen, or..." She put the tip of the blade to Ami's throat. A small drop of blood appeared, and slid down the blade. "The girl dies."

Jordan glared up Floran, as he thought over his options. There was really only one to make after all.

"Give it up Floran. I will never join your Queen. In fact, you can tell her she's at the top of my list. One of the few people I will really enjoy killing. Now, let the girl go." With his final words, a blade of shimmering green energy appeared in his left hand. "If you spill so much as one more drop of her blood, I swear I will make you beg for death before the end."

Floran simply smirked down at him. "Very well. If that's your decision, I hope you can live with your choice. Catch."

Her face twisted into a malicious smile, as she with drew her blade. Then hurled Ami as far away as she could, watching her go over the edge of the tower.

"Happy? I let her go as you asked." Floran broke up laughing, as she grinned at Jordan. "Choice Number two. Get revenge, or save the girl. The clock's ticking."

Jordan spared her a momentary glare, before vanishing from the platform.

* * *

Ami struggled weakly against the vines, but it was no use. They were too tight, and getting tighter still. Quickly sapping what little strength she had left. She couldn't even maneuver enough to get to her Henshin Wand.

From the top of the tower, all she could do was hang limply, waiting for Floran to finish her off. She knew none of the others could possibly arrive in time to help. After all, none of them even knew anything was wrong. Jordan might be able to help, but after what she had said and done to him, she wasn't sure. He was already probably long gone.

Her thoughts were suddenly driven from her mind, as the vines suddenly tightened around her, causing a groan of pain.

She could hear Floran talking to someone, but the pain was too intense to focus. She couldn't even make out what Floran was saying. It sounded like she was taunting someone.

She suddenly whimpered again in pain, as something sharp stabbed into her neck.

Through the new pain coursing through her, she could make out Floran taunting the other person again. She couldn't make out the conversation exactly, though she did grasp the meaning of the last word.

"Catch."

Her eyes suddenly widened, focusing through the pain as shear terror overwhelmed her.

She watched in morbidly slow motion as she went flying over the edge of the observation platform. This was it. This was how she was going to die. Splattered at the bottom of the tower. As she fell, some abstract part of her mind wondered who would turn her homework in for her in the morning.

She was wrenched out of her morbid thoughts when the vines suddenly snapped, and fell away from her. Once again, that abstract part of her brain noticed that several of the pieces looked cut, and were still smoldering.

"Hang on, this could get bumpy."

Ami gasped, as arms scooped her out of the air. Looking up, the fist thing she saw was the nicely colored bruise on his jutting chin. Jordan grunted with the effort it took to hold her, even as he tried to smile at her.

"Yah know, you might want to consider a diet. Just a thought."

All Ami could do was stare at Jordan as he carried her to a nearby building. Or at least, what was flapping behind him was carrying them.

Somehow Jordan had sprouted a pair of wings. Wings which were trying frantically to both slow their fall and angle them towards the building's roof.

The wings themselves were impressive enough to take her breath away. Spanning about 7 meters, they were beautiful in their own right. It was the feathers specifically, however, which caught her gaze and held it. Each feather was a bright and brilliant white in color, so much so that they seemed to glow slightly. The truly impressive part was the bright, silvery green tinge that ran down the edge of each. This part of the feather actually did glow, as though they were lit from within. As a whole, the wings left an after image in the air after each flap, stray feathers looking like trailing sparkles.

After a moment of staring, Ami finally noticed that they in fact hadn't hit the ground, as well as the fact that Jordan had wings.

"You have wings. How do you have wings?" She sounded ridiculous, but all things considered, Ami suspected she had the right.

Jordan cracked another smile at her words, as he tried slowing down for a landing. "All you could think of to say huh? Well, this is probably going to be a bumpy landing, so hold on."

As he veered in to do so, Ami wrapped her arms around Jordan's neck. It was far from a smooth landing, but neither one of them ended up with more than a few bruises.

After he picked himself up, Jordan helped Ami sit up against the stairwell.

"You should probably call the others for help. I'll keep Floran busy for a while. I think she's a little angry right now." He smirked that trademark smirk as he glanced back at the tower, where a shining green bubble could be seen at the top of the spire. "Not so easy to teleport out of a force field."

He looked back down at her, then, when she didn't respond right away. "Look, I know you still probably hate my guts right now, and I'm gonna make it worse. Please, stay out of this fight. If you wanna kick my ass later, fine. Just stay here right now, where it's safe." 

After offering her a weak smile, Jordan turned around, and faced the tower. A moment later, Ami was caught in the backwash as he flew off. A single feather landed on the ground next to her.

* * *

"ARGH! That insufferable bastard. How dare he trap me like this. I don't care what the Queen wants anymore, I'm going to kill him."

"Aww. Looks like someone doesn't like her bug jar. If you wanna kill me so badly, I can let you out."

Jordan flew around to where she could see him, as he called forth the power of Phaeton. This time, he opted not to use the helmet or the cape. In their place, metal bands appeared down the length of his wings, adding some much needed protection.

Floran stared at him in momentary shock, which quickly turned into a feral smile as the energy field collapsed. "So the little Prince wants to play after all. I'll be happy to oblige. Just remember, I won't be holding back this time."

She leaped from the tower towards Phaeton. As she flew through the air, large dragonfly wings sprouted from the pods on her back. Not expecting it, when she slammed right into Phaeton he was thrown off balance and the two of them began falling out of the sky.

Floran would lash out with Vines, and Phaeton would mange to slash them away, only to have to dodge out of the way of her thorn vines as they aimed to shred his wings. Returning the favor, Phaeton lashed out with several energy Shards, causing Floran to veer off, or risk loosing her own wings. Using the chance to gain some distance and altitude, Phaeton streaked upwards with Floran in hot pursuit.

* * *

Ami watched the battle helplessly from the roof. Even if she wanted to fight, with the injuries she had taken in her fall earlier, she couldn't. All she could do was clutch her communicator, and hope the others arrived quickly.

From where she sat, she could see occasional flashes of light. Either Phaeton's green energy, or the sickly yellow of Floran's venom. Occasionally, the flashes would come near the bottom of the tower, other times from well above it.

"What the Hell is going on?"

Ami looked up to see Uranus and Neptune walking up to stand next to her. Behind them, she could see the others starting to arrive as well.

"Phaeton is fighting Floran."

"In the air?"

"Yah, in the air."

Ami looked up again at the fight, and this time instead of holding her communicator, she clutched the feather. As she held it, she felt a warm feeling flow from it and move to the back of her mind. Comforting, but urgent. Gasping, she looked up at the Scouts with wide eyes.

"You all need to get down to the bottom of the tower. He's going to bring her down to the ground so you can finish her off."

"How do you know that?" Uranus looked down at her puzzled, then back up at the fight. "You Telepathic all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. Maybe. But you all need to go now. He can't keep that up for much longer."

The Scouts all exchanged looks. Mini-Moon stepped forward after a minute, and knelt down by Ami.

"You all go. I'll stay with Ami. I'm pretty worthless in this kind of fight anyway. We'll be fine."

With a nod of their heads, the other Scouts all jumped from the roof and hurried to the base of the Tower. 

* * *

"Give it up Prince. You're no match for me. You may be able to avoid my attacks for a while, but I'll hit you soon enough. And your pathetic attacks are nothing more than a minor irritation."

Floran swooped down on Phaeton, her Leaf Sword scything an arc through the air, fully intent on taking his head. Phaeton responded by deflecting it with his sword, and blasting a handful of his energy shards into her face. With her momentarily distracted, he managed to maneuver up above her, and spot the arrival of the Scouts down below.

"Ah good. This was taking too long anyway."

Phaeton collapsed his wings against his back and dropped straight down on Floran, just as she cleared away the last of the shards. She looked up just as he slammed into her back, gripping her wings.

"Pathetic little fool. You've just handed yourself to me on a silver platter."

Her vines whipped out to wrap around him, seeking to bind him tight, even as they began flipping around through the air.

"Actually," he continued in an almost pleasant voice, "I'm planning on using you as a buffer for when we hit the ground and they finish you off."

Phaeton managed to flip them around again, so he was on top. Planting a boot on her back, he yanked as hard as he could and was rewarded with a horrid screech of pain as Floran's wings were ripped off. At the same time, she managed to look down and spot the Scouts and the waiting trap.

Her vines began whipping at Phaeton frantically, growing thorns which quickly began ripping into his face and wings. Blood began to flow down his face, and bloody feathers began to fall around them. It was all in vain though, as a moment latter, they both slammed into the ground. Phaeton threw up his Energy Shield, absorbing just enough of the impact to keep it from being fatal. Not that Floran would appreciate what awaited her.

Phaeton was thrown into unconsciousness from the impact, and knocked clear of Floran. As soon as he was away, the Scouts attacked.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Uranus Space Sword Blaster!"

"Neptune Submarine Reflection!"

"Pluto Deadly Scream."

"Rainbow Moon Heart Attack!"

With all Scouts attacking at once, and Saturn slicing her with the Silence Glaive, Floran was done for. Her body quickly crumbled and turned into dust. A brief evening breeze blew it all way, leaving her gleaming Black Soul Gem laying on the ground. Uranus quickly grabbed it as the others gathered around Phaeton.

He was a mess. Again. Most of them were in awe of his wings, though there was little of them left now. Floran had done a number on them. Blood flowed freely, and there were entire patches of feathers missing.

Just as they were wondering what to do with him, his Armor dissolved away and his wings seemed to shrink, until they disappeared completely. Jordan lay on the ground now, clothed in torn blue jeans and the tattered remains of his shirt. They could see several bruises on him, and his face was still bleeding slightly. But at least he was much easier to handle this way.

* * *

Jordan awoke to a cool rag gently wiping his face. He winced and hissed out in pain when the rag touched one of the deeper scratches on his face. The rag was quickly yanked back. A quick glance around the room told him he was somewhere in Temple. It also told who was tending him. If his ribs hadn't hurt as much as they were, he'd probably laugh.

"Is this revenge for telling you to stay out of the fight?" he grunted. "I suppose I should be grateful you're using water and not alcohol."

Ami glared down at him as she dipped the rag into a bowl, and rung it out. She started dabbing at his scratches again, not bothering with being gentle this time.

"I don't know why I'm even bothering. You're just going to go out and try to get yourself killed again." She dabbed at a rather nasty cut on his forehead, and made sure it hurt as she did so. "You know, after you saved me, I thought you might have actually changed. I see now how wrong I was."

Jordan have a sharp hiss of pain, then reached out and snatched her hand, keeping her from poking his wounds again. "I said you could kick my ass later, and I meant it. I'm glad your safe." He tried sitting up, but thought better of it, when a wave of nausea hit him. Woah, bad idea. He eased back carefully, blinking the dizziness clear.

Ami managed to pull her hand away from his grasp and sat back, glaring at him again. Jordan took the opportunity to look her over, and frowned.

"Shouldn't you be in bed as well? You don't look so good."

"Argh!" Ami threw the wet rag at him, and leaned over so that her angry face loomed over his. "Do you have any idea why I'm in this condition? It's because of you. I was so upset over what happened on the Observation deck that I tripped on the stairs and practically fell right into Floran's hands. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm still here. I could be home and in bed instead of standing here, fighting with you yet again. I really should have learned my lesson by now. You're nothing more than an arrogant, uptight, egotistical, self-righteous, masochistic, bas- Urk!"

Ami's tirade was cut short as Jordan reached up and grabbed her, pulling her in for a kiss. She tried to struggle free at first, but Jordan managed to keep a hold of her. After a few seconds, she finally gave in and stopped struggling.

Both of them were completely oblivious to the several sets of twinkling eyes peering at them through a crack in one of the screens.


	14. Chapter 13 Summer Vacation

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 13: Summer Vacation

By: Ginsan

"Is it too late for me to go back to being an asshole?"

"Yes, considering you're already packed, and ready to go. Will you stop dragging your feet, and get downstairs."

"Remind me again, why did I agree with this?"

"Because you're really a softy, and the Class Summer Camp got canceled. Now hurry up. The other's are waiting for us to pick them up."

"Fine, but you did explain the rules, yes? Sight seeing is fine in a group, but no one goes off alone. I am not a mobile ATM. If they run out of money, I am not giving them any. If anyone sees me running, everyone should be running after me, and asking questions later. If I disappear, do not go looking for me, I'll show up again later. If I say be somewhere at a specific time, I mean be there by that time, not after it."

"Yes Jordan, we've all gone over this. Now, will you get moving?"

"OK, OK. Let's go." Jordan grabbed his last two suitcases, and headed out of his room. "Make sure to lock the door. Last thing I want is to find out the maid's been in there."

Ami shoved him out of the door, and indeed locked it behind them. "See, I locked it. Now quit worrying, and get a move on. If you make us miss the flight, you will be buying new tickets for all of us."

Jordan grumbled as he lugged his suitcases down the stairs. "You know, I think I'm starting to be a bad influence on you. You're getting too good at bulling me. Besides, it's a private jet, it can't leave without at least me on it."

Ami smiled as she pushed past him, and went down the stairs ahead of him. "Well, I did have a good teacher. Now, do I have to bully you to the limo, or can I trust that you'll be good while I help Morgan?"

"I'll be good. Go help Morgan. And remind her, that she gets three pieces of luggage only. I'm not lugging her entire wardrobe through the airport."

"Yes, yes, I'll remind her."

Jordan grumbled under his breath as he lugged his suitcases down the stairs. Ami shook her head as she followed him down. As they passed Morgan's open door she walked in, lightly knocking on the door.

"Morgan, are you ready yet? Jordan wanted to remind you three pieces of luggage only. He's starting to take everything down... stairs..."

Ami had to pause as she surveyed a disaster area that would put most earthquakes to shame. A riotous mixture of pink, purple, black, and red greeted her eyes. The walls were covered in Pink and purple checked wallpaper, and all the furniture was black with red trim. Various anime posters competed for wall space with Famous Singers and Actors. Scattered over everything, including the bed, were clothes, clothes, and more clothes. Running around frantically, making things ever worse, was Morgan.

"Morgan, what's going on? You're not even packed yet, and we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Morgan continued running around, tossing various pieces of clothing around as she zoomed around Ami.

"I lost my Passport. I'm not going anywhere if I can't find it. I begged Jordan to let me hold it, and now I've lost it." She started sniffling, and looked on the verge of tears as she continued looking. "I have to find it, or Jordan will never let me live it down."

Ami sighed as she calmly looked around the room. After a few minutes of looking she grabbed Morgan and spun her to look at her desk, where her carry-on bag was sitting.

"Morgan, what's that sticking out of the pocket?"

"AHHHH!" Morgan leapt across the room and grabbed the passport. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Morgan hugged the papers for a moment, before leaping back across the room and hugging Ami. "You're a life saver Ami. Just don't tell Jordan what happened. Please, please, please, don't tell him. He'll never let me live it down."

Morgan looked up at Ami, pleading with puppy dog eyes.

Ami chuckled as she patted Morgan on the head.

"Don't worry, I won't spill. Now, we've got fifteen minutes to pack still. What say I help you out, so we don't have to listen to Mr. Grouchy complain. Hmm?"

Morgan smiled as she started grabbing and tossing clothes into her suitcases. "Thanks Ami, you're the best."

* * *

"... Who wasn't clear about me stating only three pieces of luggage, plus carry on?" Jordan stared at a rather large pile of various suitcases, and bags. Other than looking like a tornado had ripped through a luggage store, several extra suitcases had indeed been added. "OK, I can almost understand the three animal taxi's, but honestly, we'll be gone for a week and a half, not an entire year." He sighed, as he looked between the pile of luggage, and the girls. "You lot are seriously attempting to drive me insane. I know it." At a glare from Ami, Jordan threw his hands up in the air and started walking away. "Fine, you can keep all the luggage, but I refuse to carry anything that isn't mine. You lot can find luggage carts. Remember, it's Terminal 19. If you're late, I'm telling the Pilot to fly on without you."

Jordan continued grumbling to himself as he picked up his luggage, and began heading towards the International Terminal. He paused long to toss one of Ami's suitcases that had fallen off, back onto his cart, before bullying his way through a crowd of people.

"This is going to be a long trip." Morgan stared after Jordan, before turning back to the other girls. "Okay, let's find some more carts, and get over to the jet. He really will tell the Pilot to take off if we don't show up."

* * *

Jordan was waiting impatiently by the Gate when the girls finally showed up. He was about to yell at them before he saw the worried look on Ami's face, and the fear clearly evident on the normally brash Lita. The fact that her knees were shaking so bad she could barely move also kept him quiet a moment.

"OK, what's the hang up now, and why is she shaking like an overly large pile of Jell-O?"

"Well, Lita has a little problem with Airplanes. She was supposed to take some sleeping pills to deal with this, but she's out of them and didn't say anything, thinking she'd be alright this time."

Jordan slapped the heel of his hand against his forehead. "None of you tried buying some from the abundant number of shops an the way up the Terminal?" Several embarrassed head shakes met his question.

"She didn't get this bad until we were in sight of the plane." Ami shrugged her shoulders apologetically as she continued to try and help consul Lita. "We could go back for some now though."

Jordan growled in frustration. "No, I'll take care of it. Morgan, get everyone settled on the Jet. Tell the Pilot to get ready for take-off. Amara, could you give me a hand with Lita. Just help her to the seat there."

Jordan waited until everyone was going down the gate towards the Jet, before turning back to Lita, and Amara.

"OK. Lita, the next thing you're going to remember, is being at the L.A. Airport. You're not going to remember anything about the flight there. I'm going to put you to sleep for a little bit. Amara, get ready to catch her incase she slips out of the seat."

Both girls had puzzled looks on their faces, and Lita's turned to worry, as she saw a small needle made of green energy appear in Jordan's hand. Before she could protest, he touched her forehead with the needle.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt. You won't feel a thing actually."

He gently pushed the needle into the skin until it disappeared completely. Almost immediately, her eyes closed and she indeed started slipping out of her chair, to be quickly caught my Amara.

"There. Now, we just have to make sure she stays strapped safely in her seat during the flight."

"Okay know-it-all, what'd you do to her?"

"Nothing too serious, provided it's not done repeatedly. I simply rendered her unconscious for a while. The needle will last until the Jet lands. Okay, time to leave. Though I'd prefer not to go, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back."

* * *

"Morgan, remember what I told you about how it was impolite to punch people?"

"Yah?"

"Paparazzi are not people. Feel free to wail on them when you get ticked enough. You're a minor, we can get you off easily enough."

"Will do bro."

As everyone was embarking from the plane, several of the girls were trying to figure out what the two siblings were talking about, especially since it sounded like Jordan was encouraging Morgan to hurt someone. Once they emerged from the Gang-way they quite literally slammed into a wall. A wall of lights, and noise. Completely blocking the exit from the Terminal, was a small army of reporters and photographers.

"Mr. Mallone, how does it feel to be back in Los Angeles after what happened seventh months ago?"

"Mr. Mallone, Are you really seeking the death penalty for Ronnie Mendoza?"

"Mr. Mallone, do you hold yourself responsible for what happened on the night of the 20th?"

"Mr. Mallone, why are you traveling with a party of Underage Girls?

Questions where being asked so quickly, several of which were so slanderous they couldn't believe them, that most of the girls were beginning to get headaches just trying to understand. Through it all, Jordan and Morgan stood in place, ignoring the reporters, though both looked to be getting rather upset. A glance at Jordan's fists showed that they were so tightly clenched they were turning white. Jordan glanced at his watch several times, as though waiting on something.

After one more glance, some of the tension drained out of his form as he seemed to spot someone behind the crowd of reporters. He smirked, as several large Security Guards appeared, and began shoving the reporters away, clearing enough space for the group to escape though.

"Quickly, before the Damned vermin regroup. If we can get to the Limo waiting outside, we'll be in the clear."

Not even knowing what was going on anymore, the girls quickly followed after Jordan, with an occasional shove from Morgan to keep them moving. Two of the Guards detached themselves from the crowd, and followed along behind the group, glaring at anyone who got too close. Surprisingly, an older woman shoved her way past the two guards, and rushed up to a now bemused Jordan.

"It's about time you got here. You do know that the board meeting is in less than 2 hours? And, it's rush hour now. How do you expect to get there on time?"

Jordan smirked at her, as he gestured at the small group following him. "Don't worry about how I'm going to get there. You worry about getting everyone settled in their hotel rooms. I'll handle the board meeting." Jordan turned to look at everyone, before dumping his carry on bag into the ladies arms. "Everyone, this is Holly. She'll be taking you to the hotel, since I have a small bit of business to attend to. She may complain a lot, but she's well compensated for her time, and she enjoys what she does, so it's mostly hot air. I'll catch up with you all later. I'm sure jet lag is about to catch up with all of you, so I'll see you all tomorrow night."

Jordan waved back at everyone, as he hurried down the terminal, several ambitious reporters still trying to follow him.

* * *

"Do they like their rooms?" Jordan leaned back in his chair, and stared at the city line through the window as he spoke on his cell phone. "Heh, yah, I thought they might have that reaction. They can fight over who keeps which room, once they're conscious again. Hmm No, I'm not sure when I'll be done here. The meeting is over, but Sue is on her way up with some last minute paperwork for tomorrow evening. Yes, everything should be set."

He paused to take a sip from a glass of water, when a soft knock at the door announced Susan's arrival as she walked in with a small armload of paperwork. Jordan turned the chair the rest of the way around and nodded at Susan, gesturing for her to drop the paperwork on the desk.

"Speaking of the devil, she just walked in. I'll check back in with you tomorrow. Make sure you don't spill the beans about what's going on. I want it to be a surprise. Yes, I know you can't tell them, since you don't know much about what's going on, but just don't let them know something is going on. Bye Morgan. Yes, I'll tell her you said Hi."

Jordan hung up the phone as he reached for the first of the papers Susan was giving him. Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long. Jet lag was starting to creep up on him.

"Morgan says Hi. What is all this crap anyway? I thought we had everything ready?"

Sue avoided looking him in the yes as she placed the paperwork down, and flipped to where he needed to sign. Clear signs that she was hiding something.

"OK, we both know each other well enough to know somethings up. What don't you want to tell me?" He started looking through the paperwork, looking for what she was hiding. He groaned as he found it on the third page. "Him? Let me guess, Mom thought he should be invited, and that I just forgot to send him an invite?" He sighed as Sue shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose he would have tracked me down anyway while I was over here. Probably to gloat about another new secretary."

He started signing the paper anyway, and handed them back to Sue. She flipped through them quickly, and nodded, making sure everything was right.

"I knew I should have stayed in Tokyo."

* * *

"This place is huge. I've been inside the Mallone Fashions in Tokyo, but this place could easily fit the entire store inside the lobby. How come none of us connected Jordan with this? I mean Jordan Mallone, Mallone Fashions. I mean, Hello? So obnoxious!"

Jordan smirked at Mina's comment as he walked up behind the group. "That would be 'So Obvious' Mina. Also, this is more than simply a store." He couldn't help but laugh at Mina as she jumped back several feet and clutched at her chest, and the others girls chuckled at her. "This is our Main Headquarters. We Design, Model, Make, and Sell here. And luckily for you lot, all of you get the Grand Tour."

Jordan gestured towards a set of doors at the back of the lobby as he walked through the middle of the group. "We'll start with the design studio. But, I'll warn you now. Don't touch anything unless I, or one of the designers say you can. Several of them can be... Overprotective of their work."

Jordan led the group past the doors, pausing to hand out a visitor's badge to everyone but Morgan. They walked down a corridor and past several doors, until Jordan lead them to a section with several large cubicles.

"OK Ladies. This is where almost every design we create is thought up. Mom has her own lines that she makes, but these folks in here create the majority of our catalog."

He lead them around each of the cubicles, letting them look around at some of the empty ones, before finally stopping at one labeled T. L. Contias.

"Ah, good. He's in today. Ladies, this is Thomas Louis Contias." Jordan shook hands with an older gentleman who seemed to have problems keeping his hair from getting into his eyes. "He designs most of our Summer Collections, Though he specializes in Swim wear. Thomas, these are a few of my friends from over in Tokyo. Friends being a polite way of saying they're constantly at my house driving me crazy. OWW!"

Jordan clenched his teeth in pain, and held his left foot as he was glared at by a ticked off Ami.

"Ah. This charming Young Lady must be your new Girlfriend I take it. A pleasure to meet you Ms..."

Thomas held his hand out toward her, and tried not to laugh at Jordan who was now glaring at him and muttering about pay cuts under his breath.

"Mizuno Ami sir. It's a pleasure to meet you too." 

Thomas smiled as she extended her hand, and he shook it.

"It's so nice to finally have someone to keep this Vagabond in line. But, make sure to keep him in one piece Ms. Mizuno. We do need our future owner in good health. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some business I need to attend to."

He waved to them all and hurried back the way they had come, laughing the whole way.

"I thought we agreed, no more Jackass." Ami glared at Jordan while the rest of the girls' smirked.

"It was a joke. Geeze. If I really hated you people, do you think I'd fly you over here and be giving you a personal tour of my family business?" Jordan paused to shake his foot, finally getting some feeling back into it. "Now, if you lot are done laughing at me, let's continue on."

"I don't know. Kind of nice watching you dangle on the end of your leash. Keep up the good work Ami."

Everyone tried to smother their giggles, as Ami began blushing a bright red. Jordan proceeded down another hallway, limping slightly as he walked and cursing Amara under his breath.

* * *

"This, is our Vault. In here, you'll find the Originals of every Design we make or used to make. Please, no touching the glass wall. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to clean."

Both Jordan and Morgan grimaced, obviously facing bad memories pertaining to said glass walls.

Jordan led them around the small maze for a bit, leaving the explaining of each outfit to Morgan, who seemed to enjoy it. After several minutes or wondering around, Jordan's cell phone went off, and he quickly answered it.

"Jordan speaking. All set then? Good. We're already over here, so we'll be there in just a minute. See you in five." Jordan hung up his phone, and placed it back in his jacket. "Good news everybody. I set up a little surprise for you all today, and it's finally ready. Morgan, you know the way to Vault Zero, care to lead?"

"Uh, sure thing bro. This way."

A very confused Morgan lead them around several turns, obviously clueless about what was to happen next. After a few minutes, they emerged into a large, circular room.

As before, the walls in this room were mare of glass, and all but one section was lit up. But, the last section of wall was not illuminated, effectively keeping whatever was in site from being seen.

"OK ladies, this room is a very special Vault. In here, every Original was designed and hand made my Mother. What we're here to see though, is a never before seen collection, called Fantasy Princess. It's never been seen outside this building before since Mom could never find models she thought proper for them. However, I have a feeling they'll look absolutely splendid on you lot."

Morgan turned a confused look at Jordan. "What do you mean, on them? Mom's going to kill you when she finds out."

"Oh, I doubt that sweetie. After all, I gave him the permission for it."

Morgan spun around before letting out a squeal of delight, and running up to hug the lady who had just walked into the room.

She stood just at six foot even. Her skin was lightly tanned. Her eyes were a slightly darker shade of green than Jordan's. Her hair was a blazing red. It was styled to resemble wings on either side of her head. Over all, it was rather odd. She was wearing a black, sleeveless dress. The shoulders, consisted of three successive flairs that completely covered her shoulders. A belt of silver roses was wrapped around her waist. At the bottom, the dress split from her knees to run down both of her legs, and meet the back of the dress at ankle level. She was also wearing a pair of black, high heeled shoes with straps that wound around up to her calves.

"Good, I can't wait to see what they think of the dresses. Morgan, if you'd let Mom go, she can unlock the Vault."

"Oh yah. Sorry."

Morgan let go of her Mom, and stepped back to stand with Rini and Hotaru.

Mrs. Mallone walked up to a box on one of the walls. She opened a panel, and began punching buttons into the keypad. After a moment, there was a hum as the last section of the wall slowly lit up from inside. Bit by bit, each dress inside was revealed.

There were collective gasps from all the girls as the dresses were revealed. Mrs. Mallone smiled at the girls as she hugged Morgan and Jordan goodbye.

"Well girls, I'd love to stick around and see how you all look, but I still have some work to do today. I'll see you all tonight. Toddles."

She vanished through a nearby door, leaving all the girls to stare after her, and ponder what she said. As well as stare at Jordan and the smug look on his face.

"Well, that's my clue to jet as well, since I doubt I'd be allowed in while you lot change." Jordan paused to give puppy dog eyes to Ami. A resounding smack upside his head by Morgan however, ended that. "Geeze. I try one joke, and get assaulted. Fine, I'll see you all at 7 o'clock sharp tonight. You'll all have a full day, and I have work to get done. See you all later."

With a wave to them all, he vanished down another side corridor before anyone could ask him about the dresses.

* * *

Jordan sighed as his finished signing the last piece of paperwork. So far, it had only taken him 3 hours to do it all. He glanced at the wall on the clock, and smiled slightly. Just enough time to go see both of them and be back with time to change.

He reached out and pushed the intercom button on the desk.

"Susan. Could you please have my car brought around front. I'm going out for the rest of the day."

There was a brief pause before she answered back.

"Sure thing sweetie. I suppose your going to go see them? The car will be around in five minutes. Good Luck."

Susan cut the com, and Jordan sat back in his chair for a minute before standing up and grabbing the paperwork he'd just signed. He walked out of the office and tossed them in his Outgoing before heading for the elevator.

"Wonder if I should bring her flowers..." Jordan mused to himself as he stepped into the closing doors.

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Mallone. Your secretary called, and said to expect you. I'm Dr. Mizers."

Jordan reached out and shook the doctor's hand as they began walking down the hall.

"Pleasure. I'm afraid I don't have much time, but I want to spend as much with her as I can while I'm over here in the States. I can't be sure when I'll be able to come back."

"I understand sir, especially with a hectic schedule like yours. But, any time you can spend with her is appreciated. She has improved a little bit, but she's still not talking, and she barely eats her meals. See if you can at least get her to eat her dinner while your here."

"I'll try. I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave."

The Doctor nodded and walked away, leaving Jordan alone in front of the door.

Made of steel and glass, the door was quite forbidding in appearance. Scrawled in black numbers at the top was the number '265', and to the side of the door stood a medical chart. Under that, was listed the patient's name. Jordan stood looking at the name and the chart a moment before grabbing the handle, and knocking on the door.

"Hello. Whether you want me to come in or not, I'm coming in. Sorry I haven't been able to visit before now." Jordan opened the door and closed it behind himself after stepping inside. "Doc says you haven't been eating your veggies young lady. They're never gonna let you out if you don't at least try."

"F-You Mallone"

"Nice. Least you're vocal this time. Last time, I couldn't even get that much out of you. So Frannie, I think it's time we had a talk."

* * *

"How'd it go Mr. Mallone?"

Jordan glared at the Doctor as he continued to try and clean food off of what was once a clean shirt. He glared at the doctor for another minute before sighing and giving up on the shirt.

"Better than last time anyway. I got her to cuss me out, and she threw her dinner plate at me. I'd call it an improvement. I suppose."

The Doctor laughed as he handed Jordan a towel to clean his face off with.

"Yes, she is improving. With you in town for a few days, and a few more acts like this, maybe we can motivate her to actually leave her room."

"Maybe." Jordan wiped most of the sauce off his face, and pulled a few stray noodles from his hair. "I'll try and stop by tomorrow, or at least Monday. I've got to take off now." Jordan tossed the now filthy towel back at the Doc. "I'll call you back when I can visit her again."

"Thank You very much for your visit today Mr. Mallone. She hasn't been this active in quite some time."

Jordan smirked on his way out. "Glad I could oblige by being a target. I'll make sure to wear some grungier clothes next time. So long Doc. And good luck with her."

Jordan made his way out to the parking lot, and hopped inside his car. He cast one last glance back at the Asylum before driving off. Fran really did seem to be dealing with things a little better.

The last time he had come had been just before they left for Tokyo. All she had done was stare at the wall and cry silently. Now, she was screaming at him and throwing food at him. Definitely an improvement. He'd just have to make sure she didn't have any sharp objects next time. That could get messy.

"Speaking of messes." Jordan sighed as a lock of sauce laden hair fell into his face. "I hope this stuff comes out easy. Hate to be late to my own party."

* * *

Across town, in one of the less traveled city parks, an eerie light glowed briefly through the trees. The light soon faded, replaced by a shrill shriek as a large shadowy form shot out of the trees and fled into the sky.

Back on the ground below, another shadowy figured moved between the trees, avoiding the light. Seeing a couple of joggers pass nearby, it alter course to intercept them. Two screams cut abruptly short, and an eerie silence settled over the park.


	15. Chapter 14 Party Surprises

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 14: Party Surprises

By: Ginsan

The shower turned off, and Jordan emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of jean shorts, and fighting a losing battle with trying to dry his hair. No matter how much of it he toweled off, there always seemed to be more wet hair to deal with.

"I really should think about cutting this this crap. Would make life so much easier."

He paused long enough to flip the TV on in the Penthouse Suit, and listened to the news report as he fished around one handed for his clothes for the night, and used his other to continue drying his hair.

"In local news, two joggers were found in a coma like state tonight in Rinefeld Park. Wounds found on their bodies suggest an animal attack, though authorities are unable to identify what kind of animal could be responsible. Local Medical experts claim that their condition is similar to recent Youma attacks in Tokyo, and an investigation into the matter is underway. If this turns out to be true, this will be the first Youma attack outside of Japan in over five years. As more information comes to light, we will keep you informed."

Jordan's blood turned to ice, as he looked up at the report, and caught sight of the scene. There was only one kind of 'animal' that could send someone into a coma-like state. And the fact that they had already linked it to a possible Youma attack cinched it. Either a Soul Devourer had emerged nearby though chance, or, more likely, they had been followed.

"I knew I should have canceled this trip. This, is going long vacation."

His cell phone went off as he flipped of the television, finally drying his hair out enough to put it back into it's topknot style ponytail.

"Jordan speaking."

"It's Ami. Did you hear about the attack?"

"Yah." Jordan sighed. So much for keeping this a secret. "I just watched it on the news. I wouldn't worry about it right now. Until they attack again, I can't track them. I need an trail to follow. Once we catch it, we can fix the victims, but for now, just leave it to me. As soon as I can track them down, I'll let you all know."

"If you say so. You still haven't told us how you seem to know where these things are going to attack. About tonight. Why exactly are we getting our hair and makeup done?"

He knew it was rude, but he went ahead and hung up. He couldn't risk her finding out what he was up to. It would completely spoil the surprise.

He quickly changed into a pair of jeans, and an older t-shirt, before slipping on a pair of sneakers, and grabbing his suit bag on the way out. The car should be waiting outside for him. If he timed it right, he'd make it back to the Office before Rush Hour.

* * *

"Everything is all set to go Jordan. The entertainers are already set up, and are warming up. The Caterers have all the buffets set, and are waiting in the storage are, ready with more if needed. All Servers have arrived, and are escorting the first of the guests inside, and seeing to it that they are comfortable. All we're waiting on now, is the arrival of the girls from the dressers, and your Grand Entrance. That is, you really are going to go through with it that is."

Jordan finished tying the final touches to his outfit, before he flashed Susan with a smirk. She couldn't help but smile back. It was good to see him starting to behave like normal again.

"Of course I am Susie. I wouldn't want to deprive all out many, many clients of my fabulous musical skills. Besides, I can't remember the last time I performed. Should make for a good start to the party."

"Your show Boss. I'll go back down, and inform your Mother. She'll be amused at the least."

Jordan smirked again as he reached over and picked up a neon green Electric Bass Guitar from his desk. Yes, it had been far too long since he'd performed. This would be so much fun.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen. If we can have your attention. As you are all no doubt aware, Mallone Fashions holds this event once each year, to showcase our up and coming Fashions. While this Gala is also a Fashion Show, we would still like you all to appreciate the show for what it is, and the party for the bash it will be. And now, without further ado, we present to you, Mallone Fashions 5th Annual Fashion Gala."

The announcer quickly hopped off the stage, and took a stand nearby, to be out of the way. The lights dimmed down, and a series of spotlights lit up the stage. Instantly, several smaller, colored lights came on, and began slowly rotating across the curtains. Starting out softly, but quickly getting louder, a rather catchy melody began playing.

There were plenty of murmured appreciations throughout the banquet hall, as the models began strutting across the stage, showing of various new styles that Mallone Fashions was currently getting ready to put on the market. Once Thomas Contias came out to accept what everyone assumed was the final congratulations, the lights dimmed even further, and a haunting guitar solo began playing.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight. Since these are her personal designs, I'll now be turning things over to Mrs. Vanessa Mallone."

The announcer handed over her microphone to Mrs. Mallone as she emerged from backstage.

"Thank you Mia for a lovely job tonight. I know this is a little unusual for me to do this tonight, but I've waited so long to find the perfect models for these fashions, that I just had to jump at the opportunity. Tonight, I present to you all a collection from my earlier years. A Collection that I have never before shown anyone outside of my own family, or the Senior Designers. Tonight, I present to you, My Ultimate Dress Collection, Fantasy Princess."

She stepped over to the side just a bit, and the lights changed again. A prism type effect, shooting sparkles, and stray colors all over the stage and the curtains.

"First up, we Ms. Trista Meioh modeling Princess lost in Time."

Pausing just long enough to take a deep breath, Trista gave the girls a big smile as she walked out onto the catwalk, and showed off her dress. It had been a very long time indeed, since she had worn this dress, something she'd have to remember to thank Jordan for later.

Looking much like an elegant evening gown, it was dyed a deep, smoky black. It was sleeveless with the main part of the gown loose, and flowing about her body as if made of air, sweeping down to just barely be clear of the floor. The neckline swept across her bust line, arching up in the middle to be caught by a thin, metal necklace with a jeweled broach at the center, a Black Onyx the same smoky black the dress. At the shoulders, it was double strapped, leaving a thin swath of pale skin visible between each set. The straps themselves, were covered in small, jeweled studs, and ran from the neckline, to arch over the shoulders and end at the back line, that was just shy of the small of her back. Her arms were encased from the elbows down, in a pair of gloves, the same material as the dress. A thin, gossamer material arched out at her hips, and flared around the back, from side to side. It was a faint, smoky gray, giving the illusion that she was surrounded by smoky fog. Tied around her throat at the back, was a black ribbon, the ends trailing off to the sides, nearly to the floor. 

"Next, we have Ms. Amara Ten'oh modeling Princess riding the Wind."

Amara nervously bit her lip before grinning wickedly at the girls, and dashing out onto the stage. She may not wear dresses often, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to. If she was gonna go through with this, she might as well enjoy it, and show off.

Her dress was very similar to Trista's, though hers was dyed a deep sapphire blue. Also sleeveless, the shoulder straps reached around to join side straps just under her shoulder blades, clasping together with small, golden studs. Around her neck was another jeweled broach, with a large sapphire set inside it. Her neckline wasn't attacked to her broach, but instead plunged down just a bit to show off a hint of cleavage. She also had the Bow tied around her neck, the same sapphire color as the rest of the dress, also trailing down to nearly touch the floor. The thing, gossamer material around her dress was dyed a light shade of blue, so thin, as to make her seem to be covered by clouds.

"Now we have Ms. Michelle Kaioh modeling Princess floating on the Waves."

Michelle smiled as she boldly stepped out onto the stage, not even pausing to gather her thoughts. She'd modeled a time or two before, years ago before she had even met Amara. She enjoyed the thrill and the rush of once again walking down the stage, and made sure she'd savor this feeling. There was no telling when the next time would be, when she could do so again.

Once again, her dress was similar to the others, though her was dyed a delicate, sea-green color. She also had a jeweled broach around her neck, with a milky green jade stone embedded in it. her neckline plunged just a bit lower than Amara's, though she didn't seem to mind. The thin straps of her dress were joined at the back by a pretty green jeweled stud. She also had a sea-green bow tied around her throat, similar to the others. The gossamer of her dress dyed a sheer, sea green, giving off the illusion that she was walking through waves.

"Here, we have Ms. Hotaru Tomoe modeling Princess rising from the Dark."

Hotaru paused nervously behind the curtains, but with a cheerful assurance from Morgan, stepped out to the catwalk and slowly walked down it. At first, she was nervous, but slowly, she enjoyed it, and found herself having fun as she showed off the dress. A dress she could faintly remember wearing in a dream, a long, long time ago.

Similar in design to Trista's, hers was dyed a deep Amethyst purple. It included the same arching neckline as Trista's had, though it was held up by a single set of studded shoulder straps. A large Amethyst was set in the broach that attached to the neckline. The purple colored bow around her throat also stretched out to nearly touch the ground. the thin gossamer around her dress was dyed a light purple, giving the illusion that she was walking through shadows.

"Up now, is Ms. Lita Kino modeling Princess growing from the Woods."

More nervous than she could ever remember being in her life, Lita took courage in the fact that the other girls had done a stellar job so far, and stepped out from the curtains. She took comfort in the fact that no one was laughing at her, or calling her names like Giant, or Amazon like back home, and managed to smile as she showed off the dress that she hadn't worn in so long. Though she could barely remember that Last Ball from so long ago, she could remember the dress perfectly, and took pride in the fact that she could wear it once more.

Taking a slightly different course than that of the other dresses, hers had a style all of it's own. Dyed a deep green color, the skirt was made of layers of fabric, and the lighter dyed gossamer material, giving the illusion that the dress was made of flower petals. At the hips, fist sized, green flowers were attached, and certainly gave the dress a very garden-ish feel. She also had a broach around her neck, with a large emerald in the center. Instead of her customary ponytail holder, her hair was held up by a green ribbon, the same color as her dress. Also around her throat was a green bow, that stretched down to just a few inches above the floor. Simple shoulder straps held up the plunging neckline, which showed off a generous amount of her cleavage.

"Here, is Ms. Rae Hino modeling Princess consumed in Flames."

Not wanting to admit to the nervous butterflies fluttering about in her stomach, Rae stepped boldly out onto the stage, showing off her dress, and amazing the crowd with her fiery personality. Once she started showing off, she forgot about the butterflies, and simply enjoyed the moment.

Dressed in a sleeveless ruby red dress, she truly did look like flames. Especially with the thin gossamer strip down the center that shifted as she walked, giving the dress the illusion that the colors were constantly shifting like flames. A ruby rested in the broach about her neck, and the red bow around her throat trailed gracefully behind her.

"Now, is Ms. Mina Aino modeling Princess radiating Love."

Mina was in her element. She had started off modeling, and entering Beauty Pageants since she was old enough to walk. Add in her years as a movie actress, and the girl was simply unstoppable. She knew how to show off her dress, and did so with gusto, charming the already enthusiastic crowd, and simply having a blast.

Also wearing a sleeveless dress, hers was dyed a brilliant sunshine-yellow, mesmerizing everyone who looked at it. A large citrine nestled firmly in the necklace, a thin yellow choker was around her neck instead, while yellow bows were tied to the shoulder straps, and left twin trails flowing along behind her. Pale-yellow gossamer flared around her, to join at the front, giving her the illusion that her dress was shining light from underneath.

"Next, is Ms. Ami Mizuno modeling Princess shrouded by Frost."

Ami stood nervously behind stage. She'd never done anything like this before, but some inner voice prompted her, saying that she could do it easily. All she had to do was remember what it had been like so long ago, when she'd last worn this dress. Smiling with a confidence she didn't really feel, Ami stepped out onto the stage, and let the moment sweep her away.

Wearing a sleeveless dress of pale blue, with the shimmer waves of even paler gossamer flowing at her sides, she did look like her dress was made of gentle frost. Fragile, and easily broken with a careless motion. A pale blue piece of turquoise sat in her necklace, while the blue neck bow trailed at her sides. The shoulder straps were studded with small gold diamonds, and seemed to enhance the over all color of the dress. 

"Here, we have Ms. Rini Tsukino modeling Princess guided by Dreams."

Taking silent joy in the knowledge that she now knew who made this wonderful dress for her in the future, Rini eagerly rushed onto the stage, wanting to show off the dress as though it was the first time she had ever worn it. If some of the other girls had seemed a little off in their performances, Rini definitely out classed them, showing off the dress she knew was made just for her.

Seemingly made of layers of thin, wispy pink material, the dress flowed around her like a rippling wind. A delicate piece of Morganite sat in her necklace, and drew attention from the relatively high neckline of the dress, compared to the others. Thin puffy sleeves covered the shoulders, while a delicate chain of pink material wrapped around her waist, and joined with the lacy frill at the back of the dress.

"And finally, we have Ms. Serena Tsukino modeling Princess of shimmering Hope."

Serena stood nervously behind the curtain. All the other girls had already gone, and now it was her turn. Fighting down a sudden fit of anxiety, she allowed herself to relax, and was surprised to find herself casually walking out onto the stage, as though someone else was guiding her. With each step, she felt a surge of confidence, and exultation. Like this was right, that she could do this effortlessly. She paused for just a moment, as the audience gasped at her emergence, and took in the site of her attire.

Wearing a sleeveless white dress that encircled around her chest with wide gold brocade, the waistline high, just underneath her breasts, and gathered there by a string of beads. The skirt was double layered chiffon, the first ending at her calves and the second pooling the floor. There was also a wide bow in the small of her back, the ends ribbon-like and thin, floating down nearly to the ground. Also the gown came with lacy cuffs that slid up her arms, separate from the gown but appearing to be part of it if her arms were down at her sides. To finish it off she wore a pair of pearl-topped pins in her hair and her golden spiral ear bobs. All in all, she gave off an air of deep maturity, and tugged at something deep inside the audience.

The audience was stunned speechless for several moments, before they erupted into applause, and congratulated Mrs. Mallone on a truly stunning collection, and ensuring a bright future for Mallone Fashions.

Just as the lights returned to normal, and the guests began to drift off to enjoy the buffet and other treats being carried around by the Servers, the Guitar Solo picked up again, began to take on a more ferocious tone. The odd, haunting melody changed form, to become a raging cry. The notes blared from behind the stage, quickly picking up in speed an intensity, before with a loud final chord, a form leaped out of the curtains to land and skid across the stage on his knees.

Holding the neon green guitar above his head, was a very oddly dressed Jordan. He had on what looked like a emerald green suit. Around the high collar, and down the front seam was worked silver , shooting off every so often in down swept curls. Long sleeves with the same silver design joined at the shoulders with an elaborate worked silver design. The Pants were the same color as the jacket, and the cuffs were the same silver design as the rest. Sharply pointed, black boots covered his feet, disappearing under the pants.

For several minutes, all any body could do, was stare at him as he held the pose. Various adults in the room had looks of horror on their faces. Some merely stared, unable to grasp it. The Scouts all stood off to the side, and several were giving Ami odd looks, as she was lost in thought, seemingly mulling over something.

"Bravo Mr. Mallone. I believe it's been several years since you gave us such a spectacle."

Mr. Contias began clapping his hands, and laughing at Jordan, who instantly cracked up in a grin, and laughter of his own. Slowly, the rest of the crowd began clapping, very few knowing what the whole scene had been about. How ever, a certain, red-headed 14 year old knew exactly what to do.

"Idiot. You'll scare the guests."

Running up behind him, Morgan smacked Jordan in the back of the head, hard enough to send him rocking forward slightly. In the same instant, the tight cloth wrapping holding his hair gave out, and Jordan was covered in a curtain of strawberry blond hair. There was so much, and since he was still kneeling on the ground, the hair pooled around him, completely covering him from view.

"Gee. Thanks Morgan. Do you have any idea, how long it takes to fix this mess?"

All the girls, including Ami now just stared, as Jordan carefully stood up, and set the guitar on the ground. As he stood up, the hair parted slightly so his face was visible again, and his bemused grin was visible. Even standing, the hair was long enough to brush against the ground. He carefully grabbed the cloth tie as the whole room continued to stare at him, and retied the hair as best as he could. It was still rather long, but it now only reach to his knees, instead of dragging the floor.

Jordan gave the room a once over, and noticed everyone still staring at him. Morgan promptly humped and walked over to where their Mom was gesturing for her to come over.

"Come on folks. I've had my fun. Now, this is a party, so lets start partying!"

Deciding it was time to bite the bullet, Jordan headed over to where the girls where gathered, several of them still staring at him. The others seemed to be teasing poor Ami.

"So, what'd you all think of my solo? Personally, I think I was a little slow on that last chord."

People slowly began dispersing about the room, more than a few whispering to each other and pointing at Jordan. He ignored it as he stood, waiting for a response from the Scouts. After several minutes, Lita finally elbowed Ami slightly, and knocked her towards Jordan. Suddenly put on the spot, she blushed slightly, and avoided Jordan's gaze.

"It was... interesting."

"Forget that. What I want to know is, why'd you have us all go through with this circus?"

Jordan smirked at Amara as she jerked out of Michelle's grip and glared at him.

"Simple. I thought it was time I made up for being such a jerk to you all when we first met. Besides, can you really tell me you didn't like being pampered all day at the Companies personal Spa, and being waited on hand and foot?"

Amara sputtered as she tried to think up a response to that, but seemed to come up short. Mina stepped forward and gave Jordan a once over, before thoughtfully tapping her chin.

"Jordan. I know I've never seen you wear that outfit before, so how come it seems so familiar. And why does that hideous thing seem to be perfect for you?"

Jordan smirked again as he gestured at his clothes, then at the dresses they were all wearing.

"Simple really. I designed this thing, oh, five years ago, when I though about actually doing the design part of this job. While I did have fun designing stuff, ultimately, it was just a colossal migraine. As for why it's so familiar, it's my Formal Uniform from the Old Days. I figured, If I was gonna make you all dress up, I might as well go for it myself. Morgan's back. Let's see what Mom had to say about my performance."

Morgan ran up, neatly dodging around a blond haired Server who seemed to be frozen in place, staring at their group. Jordan ignored him for the moment, to hear what Morgan had to say.

"So midget. What'd Mom have to say?"

Morgan glared at him a moment before she finally decided to talk.

"That while she enjoyed the show, next time clear it with her. She wants to make sure the sound system is properly set up."

Morgan sighed, and rolled her eyes at the whole thing before grabbing a hold of Rini, and Hotaru, and dragging them off to the buffet tables.

Once they were gone, he had to finally answer the barrage of questions the girls launched at him about the clothes. Most were easy to answer, now anyway.

"The main reason I can think that Mom made these dresses, is that she was probably a Royal Seamstress back on the Moon. And don't let that innocent smile of hers fool you. I think she knows exactly who you are all. Morgan may have told you lot stories of how I can read her mind. It's just a party trick, compared to Mom. I think she may have a touch of Plutonian Blood in her. Highly diluted after all this time mind you, but I think it's there. Anyway, she'll keep her mouth shut. Now that she knows your all my 'friends', she'll want you all later on, for another of her design lines, I'm sure of it. Now, I have to go do some socializing, and mingle with the Elite of L.A. You girls go enjoy yourselves. There'll be dancing later, if any of you are interested."

Jordan leaned over and gave Ami a quick peck on the cheek, before straitening his outfit, and putting on a nervous face that made a few of the girls laugh. He stopped at the still staring Server, and shoved him towards a group of people who looked like they could use some Non-alcoholic Champagne. After that, he disappeared into the crowd to rub elbows, and everything else he was expected to do. He made it to his third group, before the inevitable happened.

"There you are Mallone. I quit enjoyed your spectacle. Been awhile since you made a fool of yourself in public."

Jordan winced as he heard the voice, and slowly turned around to confront the owner. Standing around six and a half, maybe seven feet, he was a giant of a man. Tanned skin, a shade of dark bronze. Long, platinum blond hair, held back in a ponytail. Topped off with a set of steel blue eyes, that gave most people the creeps, and made them stay out of his way. They served to piss off Jordan, and insure that he stayed in his way as much as possible whenever they met.

"Ah, Colfax. I see that Hit-Squad has still failed to take you out."

"Laugh it up Mallone. Least I don't look like last season's Fashion Reject."

Jordan gave Malcolm a once over, admitting to himself (after much internal debate), that might indeed have the better outfit. Then again, a two-thousand dollar Armenian suit could do that.

"One of these days, I'm gonna lose control, and I will spill punch all over one of your suits, just to see what you'll do."

"Sure Mallone. And immediately afterwards, they'll find your corpse in... a ..."

Jordan stared at Malcolm for several seconds, wondering why he'd suddenly stopped talking. In a moment, he spotted the source of Malcolm's attention. Mina had walked up to them, and had paused in mid step, once she had spotted Malcolm, and the look on his face.

Not one to resist a chance like this, Jordan waved his hand in front of Malcolm's face several times. He even started to poke him in the shoulder, and only received a half-hearted swipe in return.

"OK, this is boring." Just then, he could hear the Musicians starting up for the dancing, and a smirk crossed his face. "Mina, so nice of you to stop by. Mina, this is Malcolm Colfax." He gestured at the still stunned Malcolm, as Mina blinked at them a few times, before tilting her head slightly at Malcolm, and a strange look appeared on her face. "Malcolm, this is Mina Aino. She's once of my friends from over in Tokyo."

Malcolm blinked a few times himself, before his upbringing finally kicked in.

"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Aino."

He nodded his head slightly at her, still a put off for some reason. Jordan smirked again, as he grabbed them both by the elbow, and pushed them towards the dance floor.

"I've got a crazy idea. Why don't you two kids get better acquainted over a dance or two? OK? OK. Have fun."

Before either of them could protest, Jordan had pushed them out into the middle of the floor, where they quickly became trapped by the other dancing couples. After a few awkward seconds, Mina seized the imitative, and grabbed Malcolm, taking the lead.

Jordan smirked again as he watch Malcolm unwind a little bit, and actually took the lead from Mina. Ah, so nice when a plan got a pain in the ass out of his hair. Speaking of pain in the asses.

"Hey you. Why aren't you serving drinks like your supposed to? You're supposed to be out handing out glasses to people, not staring at the models."

The man in question, was the same blond haired man from before. Golden blond hair, curly, and kept close cropped. His piercing brown eyes, moved from staring at a group of models, to look at Jordan.

"Sorry pal, I'm on my fifteen. You want a drink, you can go get it yourself."

Jordan watched in confusion as the Server disappeared through one of the doorways, after showing the drink tray into his arms.

"That guy is so fired."

Jordan turned around, and shoved the tray at a passing Server, and went off to find Susan. Once his back was turned, he missed the Server re-enter the room.

Now, he had replaced his Server vest, with what could only be the Sports Jacket of one of Guests. Who in their right mind would but a Sport's jacket in that hideous green color?

He walked straight across the room and right up to the girl he had been staring at all night.

"Excuse me Ms. Hino was it? May I have this dance?"

Rae looked away from the girls she had been chatting with, to stare up at the stranger. Taking a look at his messed hair, and the very familiar jacket she was wearing, just rubber her the wrong way.

"You're not excused, I was talking. Personally, I don't dance with thieves. I believe the owner of that jacket wants it back."

Rae smirked as she looked over the mans shoulder, and grinned at someone behind him.

"I think you have my Jacket. Could you kindly hand it over, before we cause a scene."

The man spun around, and smiled, pulling off the jacket at the same time.

"Sure thing friend. Just borrowing it. Don't worry, I didn't wrinkle it."

He handed over the jacket, and then tried to make a hasty retreat, when a bundle of blond hair streaked past him in a white dress.

"DARIEN!"

The bundle of blond hair slammed into the jacket's owner, and nearly knocked him over. Several of the girls she had been with saw what had happened, and quickly resumed their conversation, while those no used to such an occurrence stared.

Pulled over by the commotion, Jordan walked over with Susan in tow, trying to sort out what was going on. He spotted the wayward Server, and was going to reprimand him again, when Serena snagged his arm and dragged him over to where a perplexed Darien still stood.

"Jordan, I want you to meet Darien. Darien, this is Jordan."

Both perplexed now, they looked at Serena.

"Serena, we've met before. He used to work part time from Mallone Fashions back in high school, and his earlier college days."

Serena's eyes bugged out as she looked up at Darien.

"Really? You two have already met?"

"Yes Meatball. I told you before I used to work for Mallone Fashions."

Rae decided now was a good time to butt in with her two cents, and walked past the still bewildered Server, and stood next to Serena.

"You were probably too busy stuffing that pig face of yours, to hear anything he said."

"RAE! That was mean! I'm gonna make you pay for that one."

Serena took off after Rae who had already ran away, and proceeded to chase her all over the room.

Darien and Jordan watched them for a few minutes, before Jordan finally clapped Darien on the shoulder.

"Well man, it's been a while. What brings you to the states?"

Darien shrugged as he watched the two girls. Hopefully they wouldn't actually hurt themselves. Or someone else for that matter.

"I've been going to medical school over here. I got an invitation in my dorm mail the other day, and decided to pop in, for old times sake. I brought a friend with me, but I don't seem to see Nathan anywhere."

Darien looked around, and finally did spot his friend. Seemingly trying to hide off in a corner, with a plate of food. Oddly enough, he seemed to have frozen, with a bite of something halfway to his mouth. Following the trail of his gaze, he spotted him staring at Lita of all people, who was completely oblivious to her admirer.

"Never mind, found him. So how are things going for you in Tokyo? I hear the Devourers have scaled back slightly, since you took out Floran."

Jordan blinked a few times as he stared at Darien.

"How do you know about the Soul Devourers?"

Darien glanced around, making sure that no one was within easy hearing.

"Simple. Serena is my fiancé. When I'm not around to help out, she tells me what's going on over the phone, or in her letters."

Jordan looked at Darien for a few seconds before frowning, and giving him a cool look.

"If you're her fiancé, then I can assume you are Prince Endymion?"

At Darien's curious nod, Jordan simply turned around, and walked away. Not knowing what that was all about, he cast around again for Serena, and saw her and Rae currently piling plates of food over at the buffet table. Apparently, food won out over their argument.

* * *

Several hours passed, and a few of the guests began to leave. Once the crowd thinned out a bit, a disgruntled Jordan finally caught up with Ami, and gave her an apologetic shrug, before gesturing to the dance floor.

"Sorry about all that, but when you're the heir to a major Company like this one, you have to suck up to as many people as you can. Never know who's favors you might need later on. Now, before the Musicians pack it up for the night, how about a dance or two?"

Ami nervously looked over at the dance floor, and then back at Jordan.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I know how to dance of course, but I've never actually danced with anyone."

As she looked down at her feet, and blushed slightly in embarrassment, Jordan merely chuckled.

"That's OK. All you have to do is follow my lead. You'll get the hang of it."

Nervously, Ami finally followed Jordan out to the dance floor, and blushed slightly as a slow song began, and Jordan placed one of his hands on her hips. Possibly just a little too low for modesty's sake.

"Jordan..."

"Relax, the whole part of this party is to have fun. Here we go."

Before she could say anything else, he swept her into the dance, and they slowly began circling the dance floor. After a few minutes, Ami finally did relax, and got into it, leaning a little closer to Jordan, as yet another slow song began playing. At one point, she felt, more than heard Jordan laugh, and looked to see what was so funny.

Nearby, Mina was dancing with a rather handsome, if a little overly-large man. they both seemed to be caught up in the dancing, and people were constantly forced to step out of the way, or be trampled by them.

"I tricked Malcolm into dancing with her hours ago. Can't believe they're still at it."

The two continued to watch Malcolm and Mina dance for a few more minutes, before she felt Jordan suddenly go stiff, and Malcolm suddenly stopped dancing, his eyes suddenly widening.

Jordan and Malcolm both looked at each other, with mixed looks or fear, and utter horror.

"Malcolm. All the hair on the back of my neck just stood up straight, and my blood just turned to ice."

Malcolm nodded, indicating that the same had just happened to him. Jordan quickly turned to Ami, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Sorry about this, but I'll explain later." He turned to Malcolm and nodded with his head towards a set of doors. "We can hide in my office from her."

Both of them quickly disappeared through the heavy doors, just as a girl with thick, curly blue hair rushed onto the dance floor, seeming sniffing the air.

Mina and Ami both stared at her for a few minutes, completely taken aback by the whole situation.

"Nuts. They escaped my clutches again. Next time, I will snag one of them. I'm gonna marry a millionaire if it's the last thing I do."

They watched the seemingly crazed girls wonder off, apparently looking for either Jordan or Malcolm.


	16. Chapter 15: Avian Strikes

Authors note: Microsoft owns Halo not me. Sigh.

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 15: Avian strikes

By: GINSAN

A few hours later, the party finally wound down, and most of the guests left. Rae, finally fed up with the strange man who kept following her around trying to bug a dance out of her was glad when Mrs. Mallone grabbed the man and pulled him away. With luck, it was to have him kicked out by security.

The only guests left now, were a few stray models, and the girls themselves. Morgan looked around from her brother, and unable to find him, finally asked Ami about it.

"Where exactly is my wayward brother? He can't possibly have skipped out already, and left you alone."

Ami frowned as she answered Morgan's question.

"I'm not sure. We were dancing a while ago, and suddenly he and that Malcolm fellow took off through those doors. A moment later, a girl with curly blue hair arrived, saying something about snagging one of them."

Ami watched as Morgan paled slightly, and muttered the name Sabina under her breath.

"Both of those chickens are probably up, hiding in Jordan's office. Come on, let's go hunt them down."

The group, now including Darien and his friend Nathan followed along, as Morgan led them to the penthouse elevator, and the group went up a few at a time. As they meandered through the offices, they could make out faint noises coming from further up. Eventually, they resolved into what sounded like trash talk, and the sounds of gunfire and explosions could also be heard now.

Coming around the last corner, and into Jordan's office made them all stop dead in their tracks. Jordan was sitting on a plush, leather couch, the jacket of his outfit undone, and his hair plastered around him, his tie obviously having given out again. Sitting next to him was Malcolm, his jacket also undone, though his blue tie was currently wrapped around his forehead as a sort of impromptu bandanna. The two—who had been barely civil to each other down at the party—sat side-by-side like long-time best-friends, enjoying a friendly (or not so friendly) game of Halo—complete with laughing trash-talk back and forth. 

"Take that jerk! 'S'what you get for blowing up my Puma, Colfax."

"I'll blow up whatever I want to Mallone. Besides, it's called a Warthog, not a Puma."

"I'll call it whatever I want to call it. Honestly, it looks like a Puma, not a Warthog. Now stop blowing it up."

"Fine. I'll just blow up something else. Like your stupid tank."

Everyone watched as a grenade detonated under said tank, and Jordan's character was blow to bits.

"Oh, that's it. The Kiddy Gloves... are... so ... off."

Jordan happened to spot the gathered group, and froze in mid rant. He quickly caught himself though, and turned on Malcolm, a black scowl plastered onto his face.

"Just what do you think you're doing you arrogant prick! Get out of my office, and quit playing my Halo, Colfax. I never said your arrogant ass could sit on my couch either!"

Malcolm turned around, and saw the amused looks on several faces before he turned back to Jordan with a roll of his eyes.

"Drop it Mallone. We're busted."

Jordan sighed heavily as he dropped the controller, and shoved some of his hair out of the way to grin sheepishly at the girls.

"Fine, we're busted. But not a word of this to anyone. If it ever got out that we actually don't hate each other, the tabloids would have a feeding frenzy. Is Sabina gone yet?"

Morgan smirked, as she shook her head at the two.

"Yes, she's gone. All the other guests have gone home. You two are safe now."

Jordan and Malcolm both visibly relaxed, now that they knew Sabina was out of the building.

"Is anyone gonna explain who this Sabina person is that has you two losers so scared?"

Jordan glared at Amara, before shrugging, and picking up the controller again.

"Her names Sabina Akahana. She's a little Miss Rich Bitch. Another high-society low-life. She's made it her life's goal to snag either me, Malcolm, or Phillip Tenkawa as a husband. She's out for our money, and we all know it. By now, we've all learned how to avoid her. I'd have introduced Phillip to you girls tonight, but he seems to have missed the party. As usual."

He gave Malcolm a look, and they both rolled their eyes. Apparently this Phillip Tenkawa made a habit of not attending things.

"So what are you girls all doing up here anyway?"

"Looking for you dummy." Morgan skipped across the office and hopped over the couch, to land between Jordan and Malcolm. "Say Jordan. Since we are the only people left, and we both have a custom system, how's about we play teams?"

Jordan looked down at her, before looking around, and counting people. Hmm. Fifteen people. The teams would be uneven.

"I don't know kiddo. We're short a person for even teams of eight for a real tournament."

"Someone say Tournament?"

The blond haired Server from earlier in the evening popped his head into the office, grinning like an idiot.

"What the Hell are you doing up here? These are private offices."

"Oh, I know. Your Mom brought me up."

Jordan instantly got a bad feeling about this, and so do Morgan who exchanged looks with her brother.

"Oh, and just why would Mom do that? She doesn't exactly make it a habit to bring strangers up to the offices."

"That's an easy one." He shrugged, and shook his hand like it wasn't a big deal. "She brought me up here to discuss a Modeling contract with me. Something about a new line you guys are launching in Tokyo in a few months. I'm supposed to hop a plane next month, and fill out the rest of the paperwork in Tokyo."

"Damn."

Both siblings sighed and shook their heads. Mom had a bad habit of picking up strays for the company. Especially ones that usually got on their nerves. Morgan looked back up at him though, and gave him a once over.

"I suppose he could pull it off. It would depend on what he looks like in a few months I suppose."

She continued to stare at him for a while, which eventually caused him to fidget, before finally trying to seek refuge behind Rae. Rather funny, since the first thing she did once he touched her, was elbow him in the gut and walk away.

"Ouch dude. Maybe you should just stay away from Ms. Temper-tantrum. She's a bit hazardous to people's health." Jordan ducked as a paperweight from his desk sailed across the room, and then thudded across the carpet. "See what I mean?"

This time, he caught the chucked paperweight, and carefully set it down, before giving Rae a glare even she couldn't ignore, and stepped away from his desk. By this time, the stranger had finally recovered, and walked up to the couch.

"So anyway, what was that about a tournament? Halo I presume. I think it's only fair that I warn you all that I'm Jadrian Destry, National Halo Champion two-years running."

Jordan and Malcolm both smirked at him, and chuckled slightly.

"Right, sure, you can play. But not on my team."

"He can be on mine."

Jordan looked up at Darien, who had remained silent the whole time. He looked at Jordan, and caused him to squirm slightly. Why, he didn't know, but it was starting to irritate him just a bit.

"Fine with me. Pick your team, and I'll take whoever is left."

"Alright, but first, some conditions." intrigued, Jordan allowed him to continue. Bet's were always fun. "If we win, you have to tell me why you've suddenly turned into a jerk around me."

"Fine. If I win, you stay out of my way, until I say otherwise."

"Agreed. I'll take Jadrian, Colfax, Serena, Morgan, Rini, Hotaru, and Nathan."

"Fine. Leaves me with Ami, Lita, Mina, Rae, Amara, Michelle, and Trista. Morgan, take them to your office, and hook up the connection. I'll set up the game."

Morgan gave him a thumbs up before hopping off the couch, and skipping out of the office and down the hall. Jordan got up, careful of his hair, and pulled out a few more controllers, and connected the special Multi-tap system he had installed. Making sure everyone was ready, he changed the settings and waited for everyone to create characters.

"So, before we begin, who here has played before?"

Lita hesitantly raised her hand, and the others just looked at him as they tried to figure out how to make characters.

"Crap. This is really gonna suck."

* * *

Jordan watched in horror as 'Nice-Girl' killed him with a lucky shot from behind some rocks. The girls hadn't done too badly, though most of the game had been left up to him, as they gradually learned the controls.

Ami as 'Bookworm' had managed six kills.

Rae as 'Sacred-Inferno' had hunted down Serena ruthlessly, and killed her six times. She even managed to kill Jade twice.

Mina as 'Goddess-of-Love' had killed Malcolm three times.

Lita as 'Amazon-Wrath' had taken out Nathan at least seven times, and Rini once.

Michelle as 'Watery-Death' managed five kills off of Darien.

Amara as 'Speedy-Wind' seemed to enjoy hunting down Morgan, and Hotaru, getting them both two times each, and lucky shots off of Darien and Serena once, for two more kills.

Trista as 'Stalking-Death' had managed to attain thirty kills, seemingly at random off members of Darien's team.

Jordan, had snagged thirty-three kills, mostly off of Darien, and that Jade kid as 'Phantom-Hunter'.

The total had brought them to ninety-nine kills. Just one kill short of the one-hundred kill goal.

On Darien's team, things were a little more even.

Darien as 'Prince-Charming' had attained ten kills off of various players.

Malcolm had snagged six kills off of Mina, and six more from random kills as 'Ice-Cold-King'

Jadrian, after his last kill on Jordan, had thirty-four kills off various players, mostly the slower ones. His 'Sexy-Jade-Boy' title humiliating anyone who managed to get killed by him.

Nathan as 'Astrological-Ace' managed a modest nine kills, one off each of them, and two off of Amara.

Morgan killed Ami repeatedly as 'Red-Menace' for ten kills.

Rini as 'Pink-Menace' snagged eleven kills off of Trista.

Hotaru as 'Purple-Menace' snagged five kills each off of Michelle and Amara.

Poor Serena as 'Nice-Girl' managed only four kills, mostly off of Rae, with that one a lucky shot off of Jordan.

This, brought their total to ninety-nine as well. Who ever got the next shot, would win it for their team.

Jordan worked a kink out of his neck as he waited for his re-spawn. With luck, he or one of the girls, could snag a last kill before Darien's team could.

Lucky for him, he spotted 'Nice-Girl' running into what he knew was a dead end, and ran down the hall after her. It would be such an easy kill. He stalked her carefully around the last corner, ready to frag her with a grenade. As he came around the corner, his screen flashed black, and the words 'You have been slaughtered by 'Prince-Charming', You have been slaughtered by 'Ice-Cold-King', You have been slaughtered by 'Sexy-Jade-Boy', You have been slaughtered by 'Astrological Ace' flashed across, giving the kill count one-hundred to Darien's team, and ending the tournament. He could only stare at the screen in horror, mentally kicking himself for not realizing it had been a trap.

Several loud yells and sounds could be heard from down the hall, and then the Red, Pink, and Purple menaces themselves ran into the office, sticking out their tongues at the defeated team. Jordan hurled a couch cushion at them, before turning off the X-Box, and putting away the controllers.

"Well, I suppose that's that. We put up a valiant fight, but in the end, I suppose the better team won." Jordan thought it over for a few minutes, before shrugging it off. "Oh well. It's practically midnight anyway. Time for everyone to head back to the hotel." He turned to the three menaces who were still making faces at anyone who happened to pay any attention to them. "Morgan. Go snag Serena, and head downstairs. I'll have the Limo ready in an hour. Should give you enough time to get everyone out of their dresses."

Jordan grinned as all the girls realized that they were still wearing their expensive dresses. As they filed out of the room, Jordan started straightening everything out, and cleaning up, waiting for Darien to come in and collect his 'prize'.

After several minutes, Darien finally came into the room. Jordan gestured for Nathan to wait outside, while he waved good-bye to Malcolm. Jordan went and sat at his desk, and gestured for Darien to sit across from him.

"So, what was that all about tonight?"

"Quite simple really, though I suppose you technically don't deserve it." Jordan sat back and stared off into space. "Do you realize exactly how thoroughly my life was destroyed, once Beryl destroyed the Moon?" Ignoring the look on Darien's face, he continued. "I no longer had a planet I could have gone to. I no longer had a people to go back to. My last living family was turned into a mockery of himself, and sent to destroy what little joy I had left in my life. I may not have loved living on the Moon, but at least it was somewhere I belonged, and where my talents were appreciated. When Beryl attacked, we were off on a mission. Do you know what it's like to come home, and find that everyone you ever knew was dead for the Second time in your life? To know, that this time, there isn't anywhere else to flee to. To know, once and for all, that you were alone in life, with no one you could rely upon?"

Jordan finally stopped, and looked at Darien with a look of such sorrow, and despair, that he was at a loss for words. After several minutes of silence, Darien finally found the words he was looking for.

"I can't begin to imagine what you went through back then. I can barely remember what life was even like back then. But tell me. Why give me the cold shoulder over what Beryl did? I can barely remember that final battle. My death is the only part I can recall."

Jordan gave him a penetrating stare, and Darien could almost swear he felt something brush across his thoughts. Finally, Jordan gave him a pitying look, before standing up, and gesturing that it was time to go.

"If you can answer the question of why your Generals were at Beryl's Tower without you leading them, then you'll have your answer. In the meantime, I need to have a talk with Trista. I've had enough of this Memory Block Bullshit. Good Night Prince."

Jordan walked out the doors, nodding briefly to Nathan on his way out, and pushed the call button for the elevator.

Yes, he'd definitely had enough, and it was high time he managed to weasel some answers out of his tight-lipped cousin.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and sunny. A seemingly perfect day for sightseeing, which is exactly what the Girls had in mind. Much to Jordan's chagrin, he was awakened by several loud, and obsessive knocks on his Suit's door. He finally had to get up and deal with the noise, instead of enjoying a few more hours in the very comfortable blankets. He tossed on a large t-shirt, and a pair of shorts to see who was banging on the door at the un-Godly hour of nine in the morning.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. What?"

Jordan jerked the door open to find the Obnoxious Trio paused with the hands ready to knock again.

"Ah good, you're awake. We were afraid we might wake you up."

Morgan smirked up at him as he glared at the three of them. He was so not ready to deal with something like this this early on a day when he actually had nothing to do. It was rare when he could sleep in.

"What are you little trolls up to?"

"Ignoring the troll comment, we all want to go sight-seeing, so we decided to drag you along. Beats you staying around here with nothing to do, or ending up at work."

Jordan sighed as he knocked his head into the door frame a few times.

"I don't suppose you lot will take no for an answer?"

"Nope."

"Nadda."

"Negativo."

Jordan sighed, then stared at Hotaru.

"You really should stop hanging around with them you know. They're starting to rub off on you. Fine. I'll meet you all in the lobby in an hour."

Jordan closed the door on them, and went to take a quick shower and get dressed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Gee. How'd I guess that everyone wanted to go today." He paused to fix Darien with a dark look, before turning back to the others. "Fine, the Limo is already waiting outside. But before that, I have something for you lot."

Jordan reached into his jackets inner pocket and pulled out several envelopes. He handed one to each of the Scouts, as he read off the names on them. Once they all had one, he let them open them up. He laughed at the looks on their faces as they all stared from the contents to him. Lita spoke up first, giving him a distrustful glare.

"I thought you said you weren't going to give any of us money on this trip."

"I'm not." Jordan smirked as he gestured for them to look closer at the letters attached to each of the cards inside. "You all performed Modeling Duties last night, and as such, you've each been paid for it. It's on the low end of our pay scale sure, but it should be more than enough for all of you to have plenty of spending money on this trip."

He watched as they carefully read over the letters, and the fact that there really was 30,000 on each card for them finally penetrated into their heads.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Mina grabbed him, and gave him a bear hug, which was quickly followed by several of the other girls. He had no choice but to endure it, and wait for them to finally let go.

"Now. Those cards are good as long as they have money on them. What ever is left over when we get back, I'll make sure is deposited into a savings account for you girls. I've also been told by Mom, that when we get back, any of you who are interested can apply to be Models. I'm warning you now though, it's never gonna be as easy as it was last night. That was a special occasion. Now, let's get this show on the road."

They all quickly left the building to file into the waiting Limo.

* * *

They spent most of the day traveling to various clothing shops and other stores, where the girls were quite eager to try and spend their money. Around noon, Jordan took them to a fancy restaurant, where he made them behave long enough to get through lunch, before taking them around to more shops. They probably would have spent the entire afternoon shopping, and dragging Jordan around with them, if things had remained peaceful. Of course, they wouldn't.

"OH! Will you look at those necklaces."

Most of the girls crowded into the shop to have a closer look, but when Ami hesitantly started to follow them inside, he dragged her off down the sidewalk.

"Jordan, where are we going?"

"You'll see. It's just around this corner."

They turned the corner, and Jordan lead her into a stuffy, dark shop. Once her eyes adjusted to allow her to see the contents, she let out an squeal of delight, much to Jordan's amusement.

"I thought you might like this place. They carry quite a few First Editions. Have a look around."

Jordan walked off to a distant corner and browsed through some shelves of antique books on Philosophy while he allowed Ami to wander through and explore the rest of the small shop. Jordan hadn't been kidding. Along one wall, sealed behind a glass case were several First Edition books, most in pristine condition. They spent almost an hour in there, before the girls caught up to them. Jordan made sure they stayed outside, while Ami spent time looking at the books. She finally found a few she liked, and went to pay for them, though Jordan caught her looking at one of the First Editions with a wistful look. A glance at the price tag told him why she hadn't bought it. It'd be a stretch, even for him.

Purchases in bag, the group met outside, just in time for the street to explode into chaos.

People began running, and screaming in panic, and several cars collided. Just as they were about to get closer, and see what was going on, a body dropped from the sky to land with a sickening crunch on the sidewalk in front of them.

Swooping overhead to land on a lamp post nearby, was a blurry black and red form of what could only be a Soul Devourer. Seemingly Human looking, it sprouted black wings where it's arms should have been, and was covered in blood red clothing, to make this one also appear to look like a Sailor Senshi. A closer look revealed that it was covered from head to toe in feathers, with various shadings to make them appear to be flesh. Even the clothes were made of a mixture of red feathers. Her face was human enough, though her eyes appeared too large, and the head moved much like an owl's would. Her feet ended in wicked looking talons, which were currently covered in blood and shreds of clothing.

Keeping a watchful eye on the Devourer, Jordan bent down to check on the body, and was relieved to find that he was still alive, though he wouldn't last much longer without medical treatment. Add on that his Soul Gem was missing, and he could be a hopeless case.

Jordan stood back up, and glared at the Soul Devourer. The other girls followed his lead, and prepared to Change, when he spotted a second Devourer casually walking towards them from across the street, deftly flicking away stray cars from it's path.

Seemingly made of polished metal, Jordan had never seen one quite like this one. It was dressed much like Phaeton's battle Armor, though it didn't wear a helmet, making it plain that it's body was most likely also made of the same shimmery Metal as the armor. Or maybe a type of crystal. He was massive, standing near seven feet, and it definitely outweighed Jordan by a large margin. Jordan was suddenly taken aback as he noticed the still figures it held in it's large arms. Amara and Michelle. He hadn't even noticed that the two had slipped off.

Tossing them like rag dolls, the Devourer sent them hurling across the road, straight at the group. Jordan grabbed Amara, and Lita managed to catch Michelle before they hit the ground. A quick glance was all it took to see that their Soul Gems had already been removed. Jordan glared across the street at the two as he carefully laid Amara down near Serena.

"Looks like someone doesn't like your handy work Cybrix. You want to play with the Prince first, or can I call dibs?"

Jordan glanced at the bird Devourer still crouched on the lamp post, then back to the armored Cybrix.

"Go ahead Avian, I've followed the Queen's Orders. Catch."

The Devourer tossed two Soul Gems to the bird, who quickly caught them, and then absorbed the Green and Yellow stones. It instantly grew in size, and the wings suddenly shifting to it's back as real arms grew into place, complete with fingers tipped with wicked looking Talons. That was a new trick.

"Make quick work of them. I'm returning to the Queen."

Jordan watched as Cybrix slashed the air with one arm and a shimmering reddish-green gash appeared. It quickly stepped into it, before it closed and vanished.

He looked up at Avian as it tested it's new arms and flexed it's wings, readying to attack.

"Avian huh? Well, I think it's time someone clipped your wings." Jordan turned to look at the girls, then over at Morgan huddled with Rini and Hotaru. "I'll hold her off for now. You all try and evacuate as many people as you can, and guard Amara and Michelle's bodies. If the bodies are killed, it won't matter if we get the Gems back. And you two had better keep my Sister safe. I'm counting on you."

Before anyone could protest, Jordan ran towards the Devourer, Transforming along the way.

He summoned his sword, and swung at Avian, but she flew up out of range of the attack.

"If you think that's gonna stop me, you're really out of luck."

Phaeton concentrated, and his wings sprouted out of his back, before he launched himself into the air, and after Avian. The two quickly dissapeared among the many buildings, leaving the girls behind.

The girls stared after them for a moment, before Lita came to, and carefully placed Michelle down next to Amara. Mina looked at her, then turned to Serena.

"We can't let him fight alone. I think Rae, Darien, and myself should follow after him, and provide support. You and Rini should try and heal as many of the injured as you can. Everyone else should help get people to safety."

Serena continued to stare after Phaeton and Avian for a moment, before looking down at her fallen friends.

"Do it, but be careful. I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

Mina nodded, then the three of them took off. The girls pulled out their Henshin Sticks, and Darien pulled out a red rose.

"Venus Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

The two girls transformed into their Senshi outfits, while Darien changed into Tuxedo Mask. Within a few moments, they had leaped out of site, jumping to the tops of nearby buildings, to follow along the rooftops.

Lita placed a hand on Serena's shoulder, before pulling out her Henshin Stick.

"Our turn.'

Serena nodded, and everyone else pulled out their Henshin Sticks.

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Saturn Crystal Power!"

Morgan watched silently as her friends transformed in front of her. When they were done, Saturn turned to her and smiled weakly, though all of them were stunned by Morgans next few words.

"I already knew."

* * *

Venus, Mars, and Tuxedo Mask dashed across the roof tops, frantically trying to keep up with Phaeton and Avian. They knew if they didn't catch up soon, he'd probably get himself hurt. Again.

Screams nearby distracted them, and they diverted to investigate. It didn't take long.

Dozens of people were fleeing from a city park. As they got closer, they could see that several cars were crushed, and that several people were laying on the ground unconscious.

A quick look revealed the source of the mayhem. A Soul Devourer stood just inside the park, ripping a Soul Gem from it's latest victim. It stood around five feet even, and seemed to be covered by a layer of green spikes on it's back, while it's head and arms were a blood red color, and looked like they belonged to some sort of amphibian.

Tuxedo Mask stopped the girls before they could rush in.

"I'll deal with this. You go help Phaeton."

"Serena would kill us if we left you alone."

"Forget it Mars, he's right. We need to catch up. If Tuxedo Mask says he can handle it, then he can. Let's go."

Venus took off again, while Mars looked at Tuxedo Mask a moment, before following after her.

He watched them go, before looking down at the Devourer. This wouldn't be nearly as easy as he'd made it out to be.

* * *

Phaeton grimaced as he swerved to avoid another energy attack from Avian. Somehow, not only had she absorbed Amara and Michelle's Soul Gems, she was now also able to use Senshi attacks. A grim little voice in the back of his mind whispered that he had suspected this all along. He pushed the voice aside, and continued to concentrate on shielding the bystanders below from the rubble that was falling.

Green domes appeared below, three at a time, to block or divert the falling debris.

This was getting aggravating. Having to divide his attention between Avian, and the civilians below. He needed to end this quickly, before someone got hurt.

He looked away for just a moment, as another piece of a building began falling, and he checked to look for anyone below, when it happened.

Having waited till he was distracted, Avian chose that moment to attack him head on, keeping him from being able to stop the debris.

Phaeton watched in growing horror as the large chunk of concrete fell towards a group of children below, too frightened to run for cover. He screamed in pain as Avian dug her talons into his arms, before slamming him up against a building, injuring his wings.

"Aww, poor Prince is worried about a few sheep. Don't worry, they'll die quicker than you."

* * *

"Don't worry about how I know. We should concentrate on helping these people like Jordan said."

Morgan brushed past the still confused scouts, before kneeling down next to the injured man, and quickly began ripping his shirt to use as bandages for his injuries.

After a moment, Saturn snapped out of her shock, and knealed down next to Morgan.

"Allow me. I can't cure him completely, but I can stabilize him."

"But Saturn!"

Saturn smiled bitterly at Sailor Mini-Moon as she ran up, and tried to stop her.

"It's OK. If I don't, he's probably going to die. If I can help, then I should. It's our Duty as Sailor Senshi."

Mini-Moon looked at her for a moment, before nodding in understanding, and moving off to help with the other injured people. Saturn was right. As Senshi if they didn't help and protect people, then they were no better than those they fought against.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask grunted in pain, as he was slammed into another tree by the Soul Devourer. It was much quicker, and far stronger than he'd first though.

He braced himself up against the tree as he stood up, keeping the Soul Devourer in sight. It wouldn't do any good, to let it get away now. He had to find a way to stop it quickly, before it caused any more damage, or tried to slam him into another tree.

The Devourer grinned at him, before jumping into the air, and landing a few feet away with a loud croak. He lashed out his he clawed hand, and Tuxedo Mask barely managed to avoid it, though his cape was ripped in the process.

Tuxedo Mask rolled away, before bracing himself, and aiming at the Devourer.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

Scarlet energy burst from his hands, to impact against the Devourer.

He jumped up, and backed away as he waited for the smoke to clear. Once it did, he could only stare in shock, as the Devourer had seemingly dissapeared.

"CROAK!"

Tuxedo mask looked up just in time for the Devourer to land on top of him, and slam him, painfully, into the ground. It clenched it's fists together, before striking him repeatedly, beginning to form a small crater in the dirt and grass. After several blows, the Devourer hopped off, and looked at the lifeless body, before moving off to find more victims.

* * *

Darien floated in a dense, gray fog. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, he noticed a dull, golden door nearby. Several chains were wrapped around it, and holding them together was a large, ornate looking lock. He slowly walked up to it, and examined it. A familiar symbol was etched on both doors of the gate, though it took a few moments for his mind to identify the cross in circle. It was the Planetary Symbol for Earth. His symbol as a Senshi. He hadn't seen it very often, but he was sure that was it.

The longer he looked at it, the more he noticed about the door. The door itself was criss-crossed by a series of small cracks, like someone had tried to break the door down at some point. he carefully traced the lines of one of the cracks until he touched one of the chains.

A chaotic whirl of thoughts and images assaulted his mind, until he was finally forced to his knees, and his hand fell away from the chain. The images stopped immediately, and he stared at the door in sudden disbelief. Those had been memories, he was sure of it. Some of them he even recognized. He remembered the one from when he had died on the Moon. Another had been back when the Generals had first betrayed him to Beryl.

He stood up again slowly, as he followed the chains to the lock. It looked like it had a small indentation on it. Almost like something was supposed to fit there. It was a familiar shape, but he couldn't place it. His mind was still confused by the rush of memories. Could this be the Memory block that Jordan had mentioned earlier?

* * *

"Venus Love Me Chain!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

Phaeton watched in amazement as Venus' attack wrapped around the rubble, and pulled it safely out of the way, while Mars' attack clipped Avian in the wing. The Devourer let go of Jordan and veered off as the two Scouts caught Phaeton and jumped up to the roof with him.

"I think I'm actually glad to see you two."

"Are you alright?"

Phaeton flexed his wings and grimaced slightly before responding to Venus.

"I can still fly. Won't be easy, but I can catch back up to her."

"And just what are you going to do on your own? That wasn't exactly a stellar performance just now."

Phaeton smirked at Mars, and then gestured at a building in the background.

"Simple, I'm going to chase her to you two, and you can have all the fun of permanently clipping her wings. Just try not to clip mine while you're at it."

With another smirk, Phaeton flew off.

Trusting that the two would be in position in time, he focused his powers and teleported as close to Avian as he could get. The fact that he appeared directly in her flight path, was both a surprise and a welcome advantage. This would make things much easier.

* * *

Darien continued to stare at the lock, until it finally hit him. The indentation was just the right size to fit his Golden Crystal.

Was it possible that he was the key to his own memories? Only one way to find out.

A simple though, and the crystal appeared in his hand. He hesitated for just a moment, before he inserted it into the lock.

Almost instantaneously, the chains and door shattered, and he was engulfed in brilliant light.

* * *

The Scouts and Morgan stayed around until the Ambulances and Police arrived, then they all changed back to make getting away easier, except for Jupiter, who left with Amara and Michelle.

The worst injury had been the injured man that Jordan had checked on earlier. Saturn had managed to stabilize him while Moon and Mini-Moon had helped the other victims, making sure they would all be safe until they could recover the lost Soul Gems.

The girls all agreed to rendezvous at the Hotel, since Venus and Mars weren't responding to their communicators, and no one even knew if Phaeton had one. As for Tuxedo Mask. Well, he came and went as he pleased.

Morgan, Rini, and Hotaru hopped in a cab. Instead of telling him the address for the hotel, Morgan directed him to a nearby park.

The three remained silent all during the ride, and while Morgan paid the driver. Once they got to the abandoned swing set, Morgan took one of the swings and waited for the other two to take one as well.

"You deserve an explanation. But first, I need you to swear that you won't tell the others anything I'm about to tell you."

Hotaru and Rini were silent a moment before they both nodded their consent.

"I'm still a little fuzzy on the details myself, but Jordan seems to have figured it all out." She was silent a moment as she looked at a passing bird. "Long ago, back before the collapse of the Silver Millennium, I was a citizen of Elysium."

* * *

Darien groaned in pain as he slowly stood up. His vision was blurry, but he could tell he was back in his own body. Painful as it was.

His vision slowly returned to normal and he noticed he was still in the park. A quick look showed that the Devourer was still close by, apparently chasing a group of kids. He needed to end this, fast. 

He started walking towards the Devourer as new energy coursed through him, and a new sense of purpose, brought about by removing the block on his memories. Some much had been blocked from him. From them all. No wonder Jordan had been so frustrated over the blocks.

He stopped just out of range of the Devourer, and slowly pulled out his Golden Crystal.

"I think we've all had just about enough of you."

As the Devourer turned around to face him, Darien held the Crystal up. The children took the chance to run away.

"EARTH POWER!"

A golden shimmer surrounded him, and the Devourer turned away to shield it's eyes.

Darien's Prince armor appeared on his body, before the color slowly changed from black to a brilliant white. All the trim changed to Gold, as the Armor itself got thicker, and arm guards changed to Gauntlets. The final change, was the Gold circlet that appeared on his brow.

Darien slowly drew the sword from it's scabbard, and pointed it at the Devourer.

"This ends now."

He leaped at the Devourer, and slashed. Caught off guard, the Devourer screamed in pain as one of it's arms was cut clean off. It hissed in pain, before turning around, and leaping away.

"I don't think so."

Darien drew back the sword, then slashed through the air towards the fleeing Devourer.

"Earth Raging Inferno!"

A ripple of crimson energy came from the sword and arced towards the Devourer. The instant it hit, the Devourer was engulfed in flames. It was dissolved into ash before it even hit the ground.

Darien slowly walked up to the remains, and casually reached down to pick up the Devourer's Soul Gem.

"I could get used to this."

* * *

Phaeton dodged another attack as he continued to head for the ambush spot.

Now that he had Avian chasing him, instead of the other way around, he could keep them both safely above most buildings, limiting the amount of damage the stray attacks could do.

Along the way, he noticed several Police helicopters following along, but so far they seemed content to stay out of the way. Good. Last thing he needed was a fight with Police. Things were bad enough as it was.

He allowed himself to smirk as he saw the rendezvous spot come into sight. So far, so good.

As he crossed the invisible line, he turned around and brought his shields up to full to absorb the attacks Avian was still slinging at him.

"Venus Love Me Chain!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

Once again, the twin attacks came from nowhere. The chains wrapped around Avian, Pinning her wings in place, while the flaming arrow sliced one wing in half. Perfect.

Phaeton dropped his shields and summoned his sword again as he charged Avian.

"Time for you to go back to the Cauldron!"

Avian looked on in fear as she tried to block the attack with her arms. Both were sliced off the forearm as the attack continued through. Phaeton sliced her from her left shoulder straight down to her right hip, before ducking back and preparing an attack.

"Cryo-Detonation!"

The ice shards slammed into her, and the lightning caught up halfway to the ground. She was vaporized almost instantly. Phaeton dived down and snatched the falling Soul Gem before flying back up to the roof, and landing near Venus and Mars.

"Mission accomplished. Now, to get these back to Amara and Michelle."

Phaeton held up two Soul Gems as he extracted more from the Devourer's emerald colored Soul Gem. One a glimmering sea-green, and the other a shinny golden color.


	17. Chapter 16: Fun in the Sun

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 16: Fun in the Sun

By: GINSAN

Jordan's hands glowed over the foreheads of Amara and Michelle. They were currently laid out on blankets on the floor, the easiest place to have the two side by side in the hotel room.

"That should do it. Let them rest a few hours before trying to wake them up."

Jordan stood up to walk towards the door. That's when everything started to spin.

The next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor, with his head cradled in Ami's lap. He looked up at several very concerned looking faces.

"Jordan?"

He blinked a few times, before he slowly sat up and cradled his now aching head.

"How long was I out?"

Ami frowned down at him.

"About five minutes."

Jordan winced as he fingered the bruise on the back of his head.

"Note to self. Fighting a super powered Human Class Soul Devourer, and then replacing two Soul Gems. Bad idea."

As he cracked a weak smile and glanced at the concerned faces. Ami smacked him upside the head, while Serena fell over laughing, joined shortly by Rae. Lita just blinked, before turning to Mina.

"I do believe, that he just cracked a joke..."

"I think he cracked something..."

"Oh, hardy har har. Thanks for the support." He eased himself to a standing position, before glaring at Serena and Rae. "I will remember this if you two ever get your Gems stolen."

He walked over to one of the large, cushioned chairs, and dropped into it. He tilted his head back, before jerking forward with a wince. After carefully resting his head, he looked over at Amara and Michelle, calmly sleeping.

"At least those two seem to be doing fine. At this point, I'll do more harm to the victims in the hospital, than help. Just going to rest here for a while and sneak in after hours to take care of it."

Jordan was asleep, almost before he finished talking.

"I've got a sharpie in my purse."

"Don't you dare Mina."

"Oh loosen up Ami. Not going to hurt anyone."

"No, but he will hurt you when he finds out."

"If everyone just keeps their tramps shut, we can milk it."

"That's traps Mina."

"Trap what Lita?"

"Never mind."

* * *

When Jordan woke up several hours later, he was alone in the common space of the suite. He rubbed his eyes, before glancing at his watch. Well past Midnight.

"Thanks girls."

He sighed as he got up out of the chair, knocking off a blanket that was covering him. At least someone had cared. He made a mental note to thank Ami later.

He stretched until he felt his joints pop, and gave himself a quick examination. Most of his cuts and bruises from the fight had healed, and he had regained most of the energy he had used so far. He had plenty now for the victims in the Hospital.

Well, they weren't going to heal themselves. Time to get a move on.

Jordan popped his neck, before teleporting from room, and to the Hospital.

* * *

"MINA AINO!"

All the girls screamed and jumped out of their beds, as the yell was quickly followed by several loud bangs, that sounded like someone was beating on Mina's door.

Lita grinned over at Ami.

"Looks like someone found out after all."

"He's not really going to kill her is he?"

"If he was, I don't think he would have woken her up first. We better go, just to be sure."

Ami nodded, and they both reached for the door, before realizing all they had on were their nightgowns.

"We have enough time to get dressed, right?"

"Sure."

* * *

Mina cowered under her bed, while Rae laughed at her as she got dressed.

"Next time, Mina, listen to Lita. Safer for you that way. Especially when it comes to Jordan. You have exactly five minutes to throw some clothes on, before I let him inside. Just giving you fair warning."

Serena did her best not to laugh out loud, but it was so hard.

"Give her a break Rae. It was funny."

"I never said it wasn't"

"You two are both mean. Fine, I'll face the flutist."

Rae and Serena blinked at each other, before Rae finally figured it out.

"I think she meant the Piper."

"Oh. Good luck Mina."

Mina gave them both cold stares as she slipped on a shirt and a pair of shorts.

* * *

"What the Hell is going on? Some of us are still recovering invalids you know."

Amara, Michelle, and Trista came out of their suite to see why Jordan was rampaging against Mina. As soon as she saw his face, Amara collapsed into a laughing fit, while Michelle covered her mouth as she started giggling. Jordan turned to glare at them, and Trista was even hard pressed not to laugh.

"Yah, yah. Laugh it up. Really. Everyone laugh at the guy with marker on his face. You're all a bunch of two-year-olds."

Jordan beat on the door one more time, before stalking off to the common room, and waiting for Mina to come out.

Amara finally got herself under control, and the three of them followed him.

"Just how do you know it was her anyway? It could have been any of the girls."

Jordan turned his head, and pointed to Mina's signature.

"Oh. You do have to admit, it is funny."

"So funny, it's going to be plastered all over the morning news. Thanks."

"You're serious?"

"I decided to walk back to the Hotel after I finished at the Hospital. I needed some fresh air. I got jumped buy some paparazzi a few blocks from the hotel. Two had cameras, and one had a video recorder."

"I'm sorry, it was just a joke."

Jordan spun to pin Mina with a glare as she stepped into the room. She quickly ducked behind Amara.

"Oh no. I'm not getting between the two of you."

Amara spun behind Mina, and pushed her towards Jordan.

Mina gulped as Jordan continued to glare at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Jordan glared for a few more moments, before his face changed to a sadistic smile.

"Oh, don't worry. I already have something in mind."

Jordan pulled a set of colored Sharpies from his pocket, and all the color drained from Mina's face.

* * *

"I didn't know he was THAT mean. Poor Mina."

Rae and Serena stood in their room, looking through their luggage, while Mina stared at herself in the mirror.

"Lita did warn her."

"Yah, but to get back at her like that?"

"I don't know. I kind of like it."

Serena and Rae blinked as they looked at Mina.

"You OK Mina? I mean, you have rainbows and flowers all over your face. Not to mention that spooky looking Smiley Face."

"Yah, and it's not like it's just going to wash off either."

"It looks great. Especially since we're going to the beach. In public."

"If you're sure..."

"It's fine."

Ice entered Mina's last comment, and both girls stared at her fake smile in the mirror. Ah, that was it.

"Maybe we can cover it with makeup?"

"I doubt it."

There was a knock at the door.

"It's Ami."

"Come in."

Ami opened the door, and Rae and Serena both frowned at her.

"Here Mina. Jordan gave me this. He said it'll take the marker off. He already used it."

Mina leaped from the Vanity to Ami, and snatched the small bottle in her hand. She rushed back to the mirror, and started using it, grinning at the results.

"Ami, is that what you're wearing to the beach?"

"Of course."

Rae and Serena nodded, before they both pounced, and dragged her across the hall to her room.

"You are not wearing a one piece to the beach."

"Right, not if you want to impress Jordan."

"But he already saw me in it. He said it was cute."

Rae and Serena both sighed.

"Right. You're changing."

"This is my only suit."

"Really, then what's this?"

Rae pulled a rather skimpy bikini out from where she had been rummaging in Ami's suitcase. Well, skimpy by Ami's standards.

"That's not mine. How. How did that get in there."

"Has to be yours. It is in your suitcase."

"But. But I never packed that. I've never even seen that before."

Both girls grinned, and they forced Ami to take it, then shoved her into the bathroom to change.

"Let's just say, we talked to your Mom before we left Tokyo."

Ami let out an indignant grunt as she was shoved past the door, and Rae and Serena pulled it shut.

"You two are supposed to be my friends."

"We are."

"You have a boyfriend now Ami. Show off a little."

"You two will pay."

"Save the threats until after Jordan sees you."

* * *

Serena looked around the lobby as they waited for Jordan to get back. He had said something about getting them some rentals for the day.

"Has anyone seen the girls? Rini never came back last night."

Amara and Michelle frowned.

"Hotaru wasn't in her bed this morning, either."

Rae pulled out her communicator.

"I'll give them a call, and make sure they aren't in trouble."

Rae pushed the button for Rini, and waited a moment as the Pink-haired girl finally answered.

"Rae? Is something wrong?"

"That's what we wanted to know. You never came home last night."

"Oh, sorry. We stayed in Morgan's room. We were out kind of late talking last night."

"We're glad you three are alright at least. Are you coming to the beach with us?"

There was a chorus of 'Beach?!", before the communicator switched off.

Rae blinked at the rest of the girls, then looked back at her communicator.

"She said they were alright. Maybe someone should go check on them though?"

"No need!"

Morgan, Rini, and Hotaru came streaking into the Lobby, blurs of color as they stopped in front of the other girls, and dropped arm loads of beach accessories.

"So when are we leaving?"

Everyone blinked at the three, before everyone laughed.

"We're waiting on Jordan. He said something about rentals, and that he'd be back soon."

"I'm back now." He tossed a set of key to Amara, before gesturing for everyone to follow him outside. "I got three Jeeps. Everyone figure out who you're riding with."

Everyone blinked. Three Jeeps? But he'd only given Amara keys.

"DARIEN!"

Serena launched herself at Darien. Only years of experience kept him from being knocked over.

"Glad to see you too Muffin Head."

Serena Stuck her tongue out at him, before kissing him. Then she smacked him in the shoulder.

"I was worried about you, you jerk. You never checked in last night. Mina and Rae said you went and fought by yourself."

"Sorry about that. I had some thinking to do. I came looking for Jordan, and he invited me along to the beach."

"So you two have made up then?"

"No quite. He won't let me talk. Something about knowing the answer already. And that I need to show off first."

"Show off what?"

Darien smirked as he pried Serena off.

"It's a secret."

"Meanie!"

She smacked him in the shoulder again, then blushed as everyone laughed at them.

Jordan grinned, before gesturing to the last Jeep in the line.

"When ever you two are ready?"

Serena blinked at Jordan before she realized that everyone had already gotten into the Jeeps except for her and Darien. Right about then is when she saw what was attached behind each of the Jeeps. Each one had a trailer with Seados. Each Jeep had 3 to a trailer.

"Seados? But aren't the beaches too crowded for that?"

Jordan grinned again.

"One, we're not in Japan. There's plenty of beach. Two, we're going to a private beach, so no crowds anyway. Soon as you get in the Jeep with Darien, we can leave."

Serena blushed, before hurrying over to Darien's Jeep, and getting into her seat.

Jordan laughed as he put the Jeep into gear, then drove off.

* * *

A two hour drive later, and Jordan had pulled off the main road, and onto a nearly invisible dirt path between trees. A few minutes later, the pulled out into the open. Empty beach stretched as far as the girls could see to either side.

"OK girls, we're here. Lita, Amara, and Darien stick around. The rest of you, grab your gear and pick a spot."

"I get why Amara has to stay. Why me?"

Jordan turned around to look at her.

"We need someone to tell us when to stop as we back up. Also, you owe me a favor. Two if I have to do it on the way home too."

Ami bopped him upside the head again as he chuckled, and started handing her and Morgan stray objects.

"I thought you were working on that attitude of yours."

"Oh, I am. I just don't believe in going cold turkey."

He dodged Ami's next swing as he drove the Jeep forward a bit, before putting it in reverse.

"OK Lita. Tell me to stop at the High Tide mark. I don't want to get mired down when we try to leave."

"Yah, yah."

* * *

They decided to leave the Seados on the trailers for now, as Jordan and Darien began assembling what looked like a grill. Jordan had sent Morgan, Rini, and Hotaru looking for rocks, while everyone else was laying out blankets, and putting up umbrellas.

"Here yah go Jordan. This should be the last bunch, right?"

Jordan turned to look as the three Chibi-Terrors dropped off a last batch of rocks.

"Perfect. You three can go into the water now, but make sure you take a couple of the girls with you. You know how the tide is around here Morgan."

"Yah, yah. We'll grab Trista. She needs a tan."

All four of them turned to look as Trista, who stopped in the middle of putting sun block on her arms.

"Did I do something?"

Jordan chuckled and turned back to putting the grill together, as the Chibi's burst out laughing, and hurried over to grab Trista and drag her to the water. She tried to dig in, and keep them from dragging her, but the three Chibi's wouldn't be denied.

There was a shriek, followed by several splashes.

"You knew they were going to throw her in, didn't you."

Jordan grinned at Darien.

"Of course I did. She needs to have some fun once in a while. Staying at the Time Gate isn't helping her have fun. With the three of them around, it's hard not to have any."

Darien was silent a moment as they finished assembling the grill. They both stood up, and wiped of the sand.

"You just enjoy manipulating people. Admit it."

Jordan grinned shamelessly.

"No other feeling like it."

Darien sighed as Jordan began gesturing for him to go join the girls.

"I can handle setting the rest of this up. So spend some time with your Princess. It will be a long while before you see her again."

Darien looked at him quizzically, but Jordan ignored him, as he started hauling the coolers out of his Jeep. Feeling summarily dismissed, Darien shrugged it off, and went over to join Serena. Who was in the middle of another fight with Rae.

He sighed as be braced himself to interrupt them. If you didn't know the two, you'd swear they hated each other.

* * *

Jordan had just gotten the fire started, when he felt the little hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. He stood up, and turned around. And immediately started choking as he tried not to laugh.

Trista was giving him a death glare. Or, at least as fierce a look as she could manage, draped as she was in seaweed.

"Trista. Did you," pause, as he tried not to laugh. "Did you have fun playing with the girls?"

Trista shrieked as she tried to hit him. She tripped as he dusked out of the way. As a result, she collided with him, sending them both sprawling. And Jordan ended up covered with seaweed as well.

"I'll take that as a no."

Jordan extracted himself, much to the amusement of Lita and Mina who came over to see what was going on.

Lita shook her head as he shoved Jordan away from the grill, and Mina helped Trista up.

"You two, out of my kitchen."

Jordan turned to look at her, as he peeled seaweed off his face.

"Since when is this your kitchen?"

"Since now. Go spend some time with Ami. She's got her nose plastered in a book. Again."

Jordan turned to look where she was indicating. He shook his head. Ami was still wearing clothes over her swimsuit. She was sitting under a beach umbrella, reading glasses on as she was reading a rather large book. He jaw dropped as he read the title of the book.

"Oh my God. Is that a Test Book for the Mid-terms coming up?"

Mina and Lita both chimed in as they picked the last of the seaweed off a still fuming Trista.

"Yes."

Jordan muttered under his breath as he started walking over toward Ami. Only she would bring a Test-prep book with her on vacation. 

"Ami, put the book down."

She waved a hand at him absentmindedly, as she continued to read the book.

"I'm almost done. Five more minutes."

Jordan muttered under his breath, before grinning. he's just have to play dirty.

"You're going to have fun. Now. No more books."

Ami blinked up at him, as he snatched off her glasses, and tossed the book aside. Before she could protest, he picked her up, and slung her over a shoulder. He kicked off his sandals, and snatched off hers with his free hand.

"Jordan, put me down right now! Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"Making you have fun."

As she started beating on his back, he began walking casually towards the water. As soon as she realized what he was up to, she redoubled her efforts, trying to get down.

"Put me down right now! I still have my clothes on!"

"That's your fault."

"I'm warning you. Put me down right now!"

"Where's the fun in that."

Jordan walked right into the water, dragging Ami with him. Once he got out to his waist, he dropped her with a satisfying splash.

Ami was drenched under a wave, and came up sputtering. Jordan tried to help her up, but ended up with a slap across the face instead.

"You are such a jerk."

"Who's the one ruining a perfectly good vacation, by sticking her nose in a book, and studying? We're at beach. Try and act like it. Have some fun."

"I was having fun."

"Reading a book, and hiding under an umbrella at the beach is not fun."

"It is for me."

"No it's not. Admit it. You're just scared to actually bust out, and takes those clothes off, and have a good time."

"I am not afraid of having fun."

"Are too. Admit it."

"I am not. I was having plenty of fun."

"Ami, you were hiding. Now, admit it. Were you hiding from having fun, or having fun with me?"

Some of Ami's anger drained at that, and she began blushing slightly.

"I'm not hiding from you."

"Oh really. Then why haven't you taken your clothes off? Even Trista has loosened up, and gone in the water."

"She was dragged in by Hotaru, Rini, and your sister."

"She still went into the water. And you're in the water now. So loosen up. Have a little fun. it won't kill you. If it does, you can haunt me till the Cauldron claims us all."

Ami was silent for a few minutes, as they two of them were pushed away from the group by the waves.

"All right. You want me to loosen up, and have fun. Fine."

Ami reached down, and grabbed her shirt. Before Jordan realized what she was doing, she had pulled off her shirt.

"Well, happy?"

Jordan's attention was drawn to the top of her Bikini. Some small part of his mind, still capable of rational thought, made a note that it wasn't something that Ami would have chosen to wear on her own. While modest compared to the bikini's the rest of the girls were wearing, it seemed to make it all the more enticing to him. The material was a shiny, metallic blue color, and reflected the sunlight off in sparkles. It also revealed some impressive cleavage. Combined with the almost Halo-ish effect of the sparkles, all Jordan could do was stare.

After a few minutes of silence from Jordan, Ami became aware of just why he'd gone silent. Blushing furiously, she quickly tried to put her shirt back on.

The movement snapped Jordan out of it, and he quickly grabbed her arms, to keep her from covering up.

"I have to say. With that on, you just became the hottest girl on the beach."

Ami blushed even deeper, and tried to pull away.

"You're just saying that."

Jordan rolled his eyes, before pulling her closer.

"When are you going to learn, when I say something I mean it."

"You -"

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as Jordan leaned in and kissed her, rather effectively ending any protests she could have made. After a moment, she relaxed into Jordan's embrace, and leaned into the kiss.

Jordan broke the kiss, and pulled back a little.

"No do you believe me? or do you need more proof?"

An addled Ami could only blink at him, and nod. Jordan smiled, before leaning back in, and kissing her again. Deep inside her head, the still rational part of her mind tried to remind her that she was supposed to be angry at him. But, it wasn't trying very hard to be heard.

* * *

A few hours later, everyone was gathered around the grill.

Jordan managed to talk Ami into taking her shorts off so they could dry with her shirt, and the two were currently cuddling under a large blanket. Morgan, and Rini were taking turns making gagging motions at the two of them as well as Darien and Serena. Hotaru was more polite, but that didn't stop her from laughing along with everyone else.

Lita and Mina began passing out burgers to everyone, before taking their own seats.

They all ate in relative silence, though a small fight broke out between Serena and Rini over the last burger. The fight was resolved when Morgan reached out, and snatched it from both of them, and shoved the whole thing in her mouth.

Rini proceeded to try and beat on Morgan for it, but she simply jumped up, and started running, Rini chasing her around the beach.

"Well, I'd say everyone had fun today.'

"Speak for yourself."

Jordan grinned as Trista continued to glare at him. He was starting to wonder if her face had frozen like that. Luckily, he was too smart to ask such a thing out loud.

"OK, so most of us had fun. The rest can admit it to themselves later. So, now that everyone has eaten, what say we break out the Seados and have some real fun?" Jordan was almost deafened by the replies, and simply laughed as he dis-entangled himself from Ami, and stood up. "Well, this will go faster if you all help out. Rini, Morgan, and Hotaru can ride with someone. Preferably those with experience. Those who haven't done it before, wait for someone to show you how, before you try on your own. We're rather far from the Hospital if someone gets hurt. And no cheating by using Hotaru."

Silence met that statement, but everyone did manager to get to their feet, and move back to the Jeeps. Jordan and Darien took turns helping the girls drag the Seados out to the water. Hotaru rode behind Amara, Morgan rode behind Michelle, and Rini rode behind Trista who was being shown how to use the Seado by Amara. Lita and Rae were being shown how to use theirs by Mina. Darien and Serena took off, leaving Jordan to show Ami.

"Not very complicated. Just think of it like my motorcycle."

"I was terrified trying to drive that death-trap."

"It is not a death-trap. It's a finely tuned technological masterpiece."

"Just show me how to drive this thing."

Smirking, Jordan leaned over and showed her the controls.

"Steering, gas, brakes. See, easy. Just make sure not run anyone over."

Ami took a playful swing at him, before trying out the controls. Jordan gave her a head start, before following after her.

The group spent a few hours playing around. Mostly settled into them breaking into groups and playing Tag. Eventually, the games broke up, and they all headed back to the shore.

Jordan started putting the Seados up, while the girls started to pack up the Jeeps. It wasn't until he started loading the last Jeep, that everyone realized that Darien and Serena were still out in the water.

He walked up to the edge of the water to wave them back to shore so they could leave. It wasn't until they had actually waved back, and began heading for him, that he felt it.

"DARIEN! There's a Devourer in the water!"

Darien shook his head, not able to hear him over the sound of the engine.

"Damn it. This isn't good."

"What was that about a Devourer?"

Ami and Lita had come up next to him, and the other girls were close behind.

"It's in the water. I just felt it appear." He looked over the water, but he didn't see anything. "This isn't good. Wait here, and get ready to fight if necessary. I'm going to try and fly out, and lure it to shore."

"Be careful Jordan."

He winked at Ami, before focusing, and summoning his wings. Stirring up a cloud of sand, he flew off, skimming across the water, and heading toward Darien and Serena.

Darien stopped as he saw Jordan flying toward him, getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You two have to get to shore, Now. There's a Devourer in the water somewhere. None of us are exactly equipped for underwater combat. I'll try and lure it out."

Darien nodded, and then gunned the Seado for shore. Serena tightened her grip as they raced for the shore.

Jordan transformed as he flew in a lazy circle. He started shooting random shards of energy into the water, causing them to explode. It wasn't until Darien and Serena were almost to the shore when he finally found the Devourer. Unfortunately, it was far too late.

The Devourer erupted out of the water, directly in the path of Darien and Serena. Darien tried to swerve around it, but they were both smacked off the Seado by it's large tail.

Now mostly out of the water, Jordan knew they were in trouble. It stood at least fifteen feet high, with it's tail at least half that. it looked to be a conglomeration of a Great White Shark, and a Primate of some sort. Most of it's body was composed of glass, which helped it blend in with the water.

Jordan watched as several attacks peppered it from beach, distracting it. He swooped in, and grabbed Serena, and taking her to the relative safety of the beach. He dropped her and spun to face the Devourer, just in time to hear most of the girls scream in horror. He looked, as the Devourer swallowed Darien whole.

Once he saw that, he smirked, and casually walked up to the beach.

"Everyone calm down, and stop attacking it."

"The Hell we will. In case you missed it, that thing just killed Darien."

"No it didn't. Just watch."

"You're going to let it get away. We need to kill it now."

"It already killed itself."

With that, Jordan sat down on the beach, reverting to his civilian clothes.

Uranus gave him a look of disgust, before pulling out her Space Sword, and preparing to attack.

"Ah, there he goes. I almost feel sorry for the thing."

Before anyone could respond, The Devourer began to glow from within. A bright, golden light that was refracted by it's body. As everyone watched, it began to scream in pain, before a great sword pierced it's head. A moment later, the sword exploded with a Crimson light, and the Devourer shattered into pieces.

Floating in the air, was Darien. Now in his Earth Knight form. He flicked the residue off his sword, before snatching the Soul Gem, and jumping to the group on shore. he walked over and handed the Gem to Jordan who grinned up at him.

All the girls where stunned speechless, and reverted back to their regular clothes. Serena ran across from where Jordan had left her, and glomped onto him. He wrapped an arm around her, as he reverted back to his clothes.

Trista looked from him to Jordan, who looked up at her with a smirk on his face.

"I told you the Memory Locks wouldn't hold forever." He stood up, and dusted himself off. "I'll go grab the Seado. The rest of you finish packing up."

He teleported from the beach, out into the water, when he climbed onto the Seado. He took his time bringing it back. It would give the girls time to adjust to what happened, and make their questions later more coherent. That, and he was enjoying watching them gang up on Trista, asking about the Memory Blocks.

As he secured the Seado, and made sure the Jeep was packed, he smirked to himself. May not have been the day at the beach he had planned on, but the day had turned out interesting enough anyway.

As he hopped into the driver's seat, he could feel Lita's eyes boring into the back of his skull, along with Mina's. Ami remained quiet in the passenger seat, but he could tell by her fidgeting that she had questions as well.

"I'll answer everyone's questions after we get back to the Hotel, and everyone has a chance to clean up and change clothes. I'll have some dinner sent up, and we can all talk then."

Lita and Mina seemed to accept it, and Ami finally nodded her head, and looked away, as he put the Jeep into gear. But, apparently Lita and Mina weren't quite ready to wait for an answer to all of his questions.

"So Jordan. What did you and Ami do out there in the water while you were alone?"

"Yah. You two were out there for a while. Looked nice and cozy. maybe a little too cozy?"

Ami and Jordan both blushed slightly, and Ami began fidgeting in her seat again.

Lita and Mina smirked to each other as they rode back to the Hotel. They were definitely going to get details later.


	18. Chapter 17: Accidental Discoveries

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 17: Accidental Discoveries

By: GINSAN

The long ride back was relatively uneventful. He didn't know about the other's, but Jordan's passengers all fell asleep somewhere between getting onto the highway, and getting to the outskirts of town. Not that he minded. The quiet gave him time to think things over. And Mina's snores were rather amusing. He was almost tempted to record her, so he could hand it over, along with photos from this morning, the next time Malcolm bugged him about her. But, he didn't have a recorder at the moment, and didn't feel like making a pit stop just to teleport to retrieve one.

He thought over the afternoon's events, particularly the shock on Trista's face after Darien's display. He was actually surprised that she hadn't know his Memory Lock had been unlocked. Considering she had helped put them in place, she should have been one of the first to know about it. Maybe there was a bit more to the Locks than he first thought. He'd have to examine someone's. Morgan never had one, and neither had he. He'd have to get someone to volunteer.

Ami would be the obvious choice. They had at least developed some trust between each other. If he promised nothing bad would happen to her, then she'd probably agree. Amara and Michelle were also choices, but he doubted Amara would agree to it. He wasn't even sure if they had memory Locks, since they had been tossed into Serenity's Spell along with himself. His powers had prevented the Spell from putting a Lock on his memories. He'd try and ask them later.

He switched gears as he thought back to how Darien had unlocked his memories. The Prince was lucky to still be alive after what happened. If that that Devourer hadn't gone back to chasing people, then Darien would be dead right now. If that was what it took for the Locks to be undone naturally, he had to find a safer alternative. Just imagining Ami on the brink of death again, simply to regain her stolen past, was too much for him to consider. He'd do what ever it took to prevent that having to see that again. Even if it meant breaking some of the promises she had forced out of him.

* * *

He made sure that everyone was wide away before they reached the hotel. He sent everyone up to their rooms to clean up, before leaving the keys to the Jeeps with the hotel valets. Darien said his goodbyes, before catching a cab back to his hotel. He and Nathan had to catch a flight early in the morning. Nathan had been invited to come along, but had opted out, claiming he had a meeting with a local Professor about a possible job once he got his degree.

Jordan quickly placed dinner orders with the concierge, before heading up to his room to get cleaned up himself. He enjoyed the fun he'd had, the first time in a long while he could remember being able to actually say so. He certainly hadn't felt this carefree since well before the shooting. He frowned, as he started to think about Fran. Maybe it was time for her to have a little fun herself.

* * *

When Jordan stepped into the Penthouse, he wasn't sure what to make of things. Either he had stepped into a warzone, or the middle of a catfight. Either way, he was pretty sure he didn't want to interrupt until he knew what was going on.

Pillows and cushions were strewn all over the living area. Furniture was over turned, but thankfully not damaged. Ami appeared to be hiding behind a fort made of said furniture. Morgan, Rini, and Hotaru appeared to be guarding her, chucking pillows at Mina, Lita, Rae, and Serena as they tried to get closer. Amara, Michelle, and Trista stood off to the side, well out of the firing line. He wasn't even going to ask why the Chibi's had bandannas in their respective colors, wrapped around their foreheads.

He cautiously made his way around the edge of the room, and sidled up to where the Outers stood watching the spectacle with mixed looks.

"Do I want to know what's going on, or should I just go hide in my room while I have a chance?"

Amara chuckled as Rini got knocked over by a well aimed cushion thrown by Mina.

"You should be safe enough. They all seem rather focused on each other at the moment."

"I can see that. Still doesn't explain the why."

"As soon as we got back, the vultures waited just long enough for Ami to grab a shower and change clothes, before trying to interrogate her."

"Ah. And the reason the Chibi's are defending her?"

"Figure that out, and we'll both know."

"Morgan's irrational mood swings. Got it."

They watched for several more minutes, before Jordan finally had enough.

"LADIES! And I do use that term loosely right now. Dinner will be here in," he paused to check his watch. "Ten minutes. You have two choices. Keep this up, and let the staff see this mess. Or, clean this up, and no one will have to pay me back the security fee on this room. Here's a hint. It's more than what any of you made at the party."

As he figured, the thought of loosing their spending money was enough ti get their attention. They all stared at each other for several minutes, before Lita stepped forward at the same time as Morgan.

"Truce?"

"Truce. For now."

Jordan shivered at the smirk on Morgan's face. That was never a good sign.

Jordan was just putting the last of the cushions on one of the sofas when Room Service knocked.

Ami was closest, and quickly opened the door. By nor, they were all starving. Especially the hurried cleaning they had just done.

Two Bellhops stepped into the room. They rolled their carts over to the dinning table, where they quickly set out the platters. They set the carts off to the side, before excusing themselves from the room. Jordan met them at the door on the way out, and gave each of them a tip, telling them he'd let them know when they were done.

"OK kiddies. Plenty for everyone, so dig in. Keep Morgan away from the Portobello Mushrooms. She'll eat them all."

Morgan shot him a dirty look, while everyone sat at the table, and started to uncover the dishes.

There where plenty of the stuffed Portobello's for everyone. There was also Fettuccine with Chicken, Lasagna, and three different kinds of Ravioli. There was also enough Caesar Salad to go around. There was also dessert, but Jordan made sure it remained untouched on the carts, until it was time.

There was little in the way of conversation, as everyone stuffed their faces, enjoying the food. Somehow, Morgan and Rini managed to coat their faces in sauce. Jordan was going to pick on them for it, before he noticed that everyone but himself, Amara, and Michelle all had sauce on their faces to varying degrees. He made a mental note, never to let any of them get this hungry every again. He found himself surprised that they hadn't complained about how hungry they had been.

He leaned over to ask Ami a question, before he stopped, and tried his hardest to keep from laughing at her. While the cleanest by far compared to the others, she was still a site. She had sauce on the tip of her nose, and all over her chin. At her confused look, while he continued to try and control his laughter, he finally took pity on her. He leaned in close to her ear, and whispered so that only she could hear him.

"You might want to use your napkin. Little sauce on your nose and chin. Course, you don't look near as bad as certain pigs at this table."

He glared purposely toward his sister, giving her a chance to discretely use her napkin, and cover her blush at the same time. He shook his head in shame, as he finished off his plate. A few minutes later, certain unnamed bottomless pits finished off the last of the food.

"Now that that's out of the way, if Amara and Michelle could help me and Ami clear off the table, we'll set out dessert, while everyone else cleans themselves up."

Jordan gave the girls a smirk as the blushed in embarrassment, and excused themselves to go clean up. While they were gone, Jordan quickly got the table cleaned off, and the dirty dishes stacked up neatly on the carts. It only took a few more minutes for them to pull the desserts from the bottom of the carts, and spread them out on the table.

Jordan himself didn't have a large a sweet-tooth as the others, and had gotten a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake for himself. The others, he had special ordered three Godiva Chocolate cheesecakes. He knew he had picked right, simply from the look on Amara and Michelle's faces.

"I know. Be patient, while the pigs get cleaned up. Might as well cut yourselves slices though, while we wait. Privilege of having manners if you will."

Amara smirked at him, while Ami smacked him in the shoulder for his pig comment.

* * *

Everyone had gathered around the living area, taking seats where they could get them. Most where half asleep by this time, from a combination of the day's activities, the heavy Italian food, and the rich cheesecake. But, no one wanted to miss out on what Jordan had to say, and they were all doing their bests to stay awake.

"I suppose, the main question, is what the Memory Blocks are?" Nods all around, considering how obvious the question was. "Simply put, Queen Serenity thought it would be best for all of you, if you had no memories of your previous Incarnations. Especially from your original lives During the Silver Millennium."

Silence for several minutes, before Serena spoke up.

"I understand her wanting to protect us, by sending us forward through time, but why block our memories? Wouldn't we have been better off, remembering about our powers, and how to use them?"

"That's the tricky part. Think back to when you were first dealing with Beryl and the corrupted Generals. How long do you think you would have been able to hold off the Negaverse, if everyone knew you were the Princess? Not very long. You'd be the prime target, and Beryl wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to sacrifice all four Generals just to kill you. The fact that two of them were already dead by the time she found out, with the third dying immediately after, played in your favor. All she had left, was Malachite, and a brainwashed Tuxedo Mask."

She paled slightly at that, having not realized exactly how close the battle had been back then. They all knew the fight with Beryl had been hard, but they hadn't before realized how much they had going for them at the time.

Ami spoke up next, her brow furrowed in thought as she thought over her question.

"If we have these Blocks, then why do you remember so much? I know you said something before about setting it up so your powers restored your memories. Would the same work for us?"

Jordan shook his head, and he thought carefully about his next words.

"I'm a different case. I never had the Memory Block to begin with. I'm not sure, since they haven't mentioned anything, but I'm fairly sure that neither Amara, nor Michelle have them either." The two looked at each other, before hesitatingly nodding their heads at Jordan in confirmation. "I suspected as much. As far as I could discern, only those who were actually on the Moon at the time Serenity cast her spell, were effected by the Blocks. We came along later, and were 'pushed' into the Spell. As for your powers being able to restore your Memories. I honestly don't know." He smirked as he looked at Trista. "I could Time Jump, and ask Serenity, but I know at least three people who would kill me for even trying it."

Trista gave him a death glare from across the room, still upset over being 'attacked' by seaweed at the beach.

"Just give me an official excuse. Please."

Jordan waved her off. He was in no mood to try fighting her when she was really serious. Besides, even if he did beat her, there were still two more waiting for a change to pound on him.

"If someone volunteers, I can take a peek, and see what I can do about your Locks. I know how Darien's was unsealed, and I'd rather the rest of you didn't have to go through that. Best option, is that they simply tale care of themselves, but I rather not risk it, and wait for that to happen."

Morgan immediately shot her hand up. Jordan hung his head before glaring at her.

"In case you forgot, dummy, you never had a Memory Lock. You've only had one previous Incarnation as well."

"Oh yah."

"I'll do it." Jordan turned to look at Ami, who was currently looking down at her hands. "If it will help the others, I'll do it."

Jordan smiled, before hugging her.

"Don't make it sound like you're going to die. It won't even hurt. I'm just going to poke around at your powers, and have a look in your mind. I won't even be able to see your memories while I'm in there. Well, I could, but that would get a whole different set of people after me." He shuddered, even thinking about it. "I'd rather not risk it."

He stood up and stretched, still a little stiff from the drive back from the beach. He yawned as he did, then laughed.

"Looks like it's bed time for me. But, I want to take care of this as quickly as possible. No sense putting it off, if we'd all like to have results now." He paused to give all the girls a once over, before shaking his head, and looking down at Ami. "Maybe we better do this is my suite. Morgan and the Chibi's can guard the door, so SOME of us can sleep peacefully tonight."

Serena and the girls tried to look innocent, but failed, miserably.

* * *

"So, what is this going to entail, exactly?"

"On your part? Nothing. I just need you to relax, and stay as calm as possible. I'll be doing all the work."

Ami and Jordan were currently sitting on his bed, opposite from each other. Jordan had a small pile of crystals sitting on the bed between them. He quickly arranged the sapphire colored stones in a small circle pattern. He then made a smaller, triangle pattern inside, with the tip pointed toward Ami.

"Now, close your eyes, and just relax."

He waited until she did as he told, then paused. It wasn't that he didn't want to do this, he just wasn't sure if he could live with the consequences afterwards. If he used it now, then he wouldn't be able to stop. He'd be bound by the contract he made over a thousand years ago with Vulcan.

He took a deep breath, before holding out his hands over the stone circle. He'd have to acknowledge the contract at some point anyway. Might as well do it now, instead of delaying it anymore.

He focused his power, and concentrated on his outstretched hands. A moment later, an oddly formed staff appeared.

It appeared to be made of five different types of wood, all coiled and braided together, yet there didn't appear to be any actual cuts in to wood. Rather, it simply melded together at each end. The staff itself was approximately six feet in length. Capping it was globe made of green crystal, about six inches in diameter. Currently, the globe showed indents that made the raised parts look like the continents of Earth. Attached at opposite sides of the globe, was a pair of silver wings, currently in a closed position. He knew from experience, that the wings would flare open once he actually used it's powers.

"Here I go. Remember to keep your eyes closed, and relax."

He held the staff upright, before touching the bottom to the center of the triangle formation. He focused his power through the staff, which caused the globe to begin glowing softly. Ever so slowly, the wings flared open as the sapphire stones surrounding the staff began to glow.

* * *

Jordan found himself surrounded by gray fog. The staff in his hands glowed just enough for him to see himself. A few moments later, sapphire lights lit up on the ground. Smirking, he started walking in the direction they indicated.

Several minutes later, he noticed he was suddenly walking down a hall. Doors were on either side as he walked, but he ignored them. None of them had locks, and quite a few of these were open to some extent. Recent memories he guessed.

Tempted as he was, he refrained from looking into any of the open rooms. These weren't his memories, and it would be a violation of the trust Ami currently had with him. He continued walking, until he finally arrived at a barred door.

It completely sealed off the hallway, locked tight by a lock that was almost as big as himself. The door was a light blue color,l appearing to be made of ice. Even though he could see several cracks in the door, he knew better than to assume it was as fragile as the mundane version of the material. The Lock was what held his interest.

It had a single hole in it's center. He didn't even have to think to hard about what would fit there, based on Darien's own description. But, he knew using Ami's Star Seed was out of the question. One, he didn't have access to it, and two, it would be too much work to get Ami inside her own memories like this, and to the door.

Instead, he walked closer to the door to get a better look. Almost immediately, a faint, blue energy appeared to block his way. It was vaguely shaped like a Senshi, and he had a feeling, it was a manifestation of Ami's powers.

"Lovely. I did want to play with her powers, and see if I could use them on the Lock."

He took one step back, and the energy vanished. Experimenting, he stepped forward again, and it reappeared. He reached out to touch it, and it lashed out. He quickly pulled back his hand, and found it encased in ice. So much for being nice.

He planted the staff on the ground between himself and the energy apparition, focusing his power through it again.

"By the pact of Vulcan, God of Forges, I, Jordan Mallone, current Guardian of the Staff of Worlds command you to cease your resistance. I command you to manifest and submit to my Authority."

The thing began to crackle like breaking ice, it's form slowly solidifying, before suddenly vanishing completely. Stubborn little thing.

He focused his powers through the staff again, and repeated the command. On the third try, it finally manifested.

It looked like a ice sculpture of Sailor Mercury, only about one third her size. This time, when he reached out to touch it, it didn't attack, allowing him to make contact. He used the staff as a channel, as he tried to sort through the manifestations powers, to find the answer he wanted.

After several minutes, he felt he was close to something, just not what he wanted. He finally severed the connection to the apparition, letting it vanish. He took a few steps back from the door, before pondering what he had discovered.

There was a link between Ami's powers and the Lock. But, it wasn't strong enough to break it. Only to occasionally slip past it. The cracks in the door were from previous occurrences, when a combination of her powers, and the Imperium Crystal would force their way out. He was surprised to find the door was actually as fragile as it looked. Apparently, she'd had her memories forced to the surface several times. But, he didn't have the power necessary to break it down.

Staying any longer would just be a waste of time. He turned around, ready to leave. The closer he got to her current memories, the more uncomfortable he felt. He wasn't quite sure if it was from his real body or not. It just felt, strange.

He was almost out, when he first heard the voice. It was a moment, before he realizes it was Ami's voice.

-I wonder how much longer this is going to take.-

He frowned. He shouldn't be able to hear her from here. Something wasn't right.

-I'm so tired. I hope he'll let me sleep here tonight. I'd rather not think what the girls will try and pull during the night.-

A sudden chill went down his spine, as he realized he wasn't hearing her voice at all. No, he was hearing her thoughts. While he had been an Empath even before he gained the Phaeton Powers, that was ll he ever was. An Empath. Able to read emotions. Not thoughts.

His Phaetonian memories provided him the only answer, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Scared, definitely. Beyond that, he also felt happy, and just a little sad. And quite angry, but for other reasons.

Sometime while he had been bonded to the apparition of her power, his mind had bonded to hers. But, it was more than that. He could read her thoughts now, and she could have read his, if not for his training, and mental blocks.

He started walking again, knowing he had no choice but to accept what had happened. There was nothing he could do to reverse what had happened, he simply had to learn to live with it.

He and Ami were now Lifebonded.

* * *

Jordan came out of the ritual, and stared at Ami for several more minutes, watching as she fidgeted, and 'listening' to her wondering how much longer she had to wait. There wasn't going to be an easy way to explain this. He wasn't even sure why, or how it had happened. He let the staff vanish back to where he had summoned it from, while he thought over his options.

Quite simply, there weren't any. All he knew, was that Lifebonds were unbreakable once forged. Death was the only thing he knew that could break it, and even there, there were repercussions. He knew that only Phaetonians could have them, but he couldn't remember ever hearing of them happening with non-Phaetonians. But, he reminded himself, he didn't have that much first hand information about Phaetonian's anyway.

-I really need to use the bathroom. I hope this is over soon.-

He winced. This really wasn't fair to make her wait, while he tried to figure out how to handle this. He might as well get it over with.

--I'm done. You can use the bathroom if you need to.--

"Finally. No offense. I'll be... right...back."

She stared at him, eyes going wide in surprise as she realized he hadn't spoken out loud.

"What? How did you do that?"

He was silent for a few minutes, before he smiled at her weakly.

"I'll tell you when you get back. Go ahead."

He refused to meet her gaze, instead, focusing exclusively on gathering, and putting away the stones. After a moment, she finally got off the bed, and hurried to the bathroom.

When she came back a few minutes later, he still hadn't figure out how to tell her.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"You're not making much sense Jordan. What's going on?"

"Something happened when I was examining your powers. I don't think I caused it to happen, it simply did."

"Jordan, what happened?"

He finally looked up at her, honestly feeling sorry for how badly her had ruined her life.

--We're Lifebonded. I'm sorry.--

Ami blinked at him in confusion, trying to figure out what he meant, and how he was talking in her head.

"I still don't understand what's going on. What's a Lifebond, and how are you talking in my head?"

"It's complicated. Basic meaning, is that our Souls are bonded together. From now, until the day we die, our lives are forever entwined." he could tell he was confusing her more, and tried to clarify things more. "We can share our thoughts with each other, like how I was speaking inside your head. You can speak to me to if you concentrate hard enough. We can also feel when each other is in pain, and we'll always know where the other person is, no matter how far apart we are."

"I. I still don't understand. How did this happen?"

"It's a Phaetonian thing. I'm not sure what causes it, only that it's unbreakable. I'm sorry."

She frowned as she quickly thought this over, trying to absorb what he had said. Bonded together until death? It was so strange. It was almost like being married to him. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock at that thought.

"Yes, technically, for Phaetonians this does count as marriage. But we're not on Phaeton." He smirked at this, a slightly dark look flashing across his face. "We're on Earth, and I'm not about to force you to physically Marry me. I've done quite enough I think."

Ami's mind was frozen in shock, trying to get past the knowledge that they were technically married, Earth or not. She slowly recovered, as deep down, she realized that a part of her accepted this. Encouraged it even.

"I just need some time to think about it."

Jordan nodded as he stood up, and grabbed one of the blankets off the bed. Ami frowned at him.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep on the sofa. You can sleep in here for tonight. Better than letting you go back upstairs, where the girls can get their hands on you."

"No."

Jordan paused, looking at her quizzically.

"Pardon?"

"Please, I don't think I want to be alone. Stay with me."

Jordan looked at her for several moments, before setting the blanket down. He walked around the bed, and sat down next to her. He reached out, and cupped her chin, turning her head slightly to look into her eyes.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be alone? I did just rather spectacularly, ruin your life."

She shook her head, and reached up to hold his hand against her face.

"I want you here. Don't think I could stand being alone right now."

He looked in her eyes for a few more minutes, before wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her closer. She leaned into his embrace, trying to seek comfort for the riot of emotions she was feeling.


	19. Chapter 18: Ressolutions

Author's Note: I live! Really, I do. I'm so sorry I've been neglecting this for so long (Those, what, 3 of you who actually read this, and aren't named Lynnwood), but I haven't been in a writing mood for quite some time, and I honestly couldn't think up what to write after what I did in Chapter 17. Hopefully, this makes up for it. If not, I feel fairly certain saying that new chapters of this, and Ruins of Atlantis will be forthcoming very shortly. In fact, I have a complete rewrite planned for Ruins. See the disclaimer I'll have up shortly for details. Sorry again, and enjoy the new chapter.

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

Chapter 18: Resolutions

By: GINSAN

Jordan awoke with a start a few hours later. It took him a moment to realize why he couldn't move his arms. Ami was laying on one of them, and she had the other in a death-grip. He couldn't free either of them without waking her.

Instead, he decided it would be easier just to lay there, and think over what had happened the night before. Without Jorowyn's 'ghost', those particular memories were a little fuzzy. He remembered as much as he did about the Life-bond, because he had though it was morbidly fascinating, to be tied so intricately to one person for the rest of their life. One detail he could remember, was that they didn't just appear though. They were supposed to develop slowly over time. Either he had really screwed up trying to force open her Memory Block last night, or something else was going on.

Regardless, he had no answers, and no one he could get answers from. At least not that he cared to ask. So, they were stuck with it. He was fairly sure he could dampen the bond enough to keep his own privacy. Ami, he wasn't quite so sure of. Even now, he was getting small fragments of the dream she was having. Not enough to figure it out, but enough to distract him slightly.

He was going to have to teach her how to dampen her side of the Bond, or she'd probably never be able to keep a private thought to herself once the Bond fully manifested. Considering what a quick study she was, it shouldn't be hard. Especially if he had a book. He didn't recall one in Jorowyn's stash, but he had been rather focused on what he was looking for at the time. Maybe he'd overlooked something. He could hope so anyway.

A slight 'itch' at the back of his thoughts reminded him of another consequence of last night. Jorowyn had avoided having to take up the responsibility for almost ten thousand years, but Jordan had agreed to it by taking up the World Staff. Which, now that he thought about it, might be a good thing. The details of the job were a little fuzzy, since he didn't have an actual Contract with Vulcan yet, but he was fairly sure he'd be able to find out how the Devourers where getting into and out of the Void now. He'd have to take time later in the day to look into it.

For now, he wasn't going anywhere. Ami was still asleep, apparently enjoying whatever dream she had eventually fallen into after the previous night's issues. A glance at a nearby clock revealed it was only a little after four-thirty in the morning. Might as well try to get some more sleep himself, though he doubted his dreams would be as pleasant.

* * *

Jordan really hated being right so much. He knew he was dreaming, but at the same time, he also knew it wasn't quite a dream. There was no way in Hell, or in any variation of it, that he would willingly dream about Vulcan or any of the Ancestors.

"So, you're the scrawny runt who took up the powers of my World Gate."

Jordan sighed, and did his best not to look directly at Vulcan. Sure, he might seem unassuming now, dressed up as some sort of medieval blacksmith, but Jordan wasn't fooled. He was still as manipulative as the others, just not as obvious about it. Which made him even more dangerous to deal with as far as Jordan was concerned.

"Yes. Sir."

The last had been tossed in as an afterthought. Perhaps it would be best not to antagonize Vulcan. At least not right now. No matter what his personal feelings about him might be.

"About time. Never could understand your Predecessor's reluctance to take up the Duty."

"Considering how thoroughly shackled his cousin is to the Time Gate, Sir, could you blame him?"

Vulcan waved a soot covered hand negligently, before gesturing towards Jordan to follow him through the dreamscape. Which looked a lot like some of the workshops on Phaeton Jorowyn had in his earliest memories.

"For starters, I'm not as uptight as Chronos. Second, the World Gate doesn't function the same way the Time Gate does. Technically, it's not even a gate at all. More like an early warning system. Sure, it has a physical location and vessel, but that's for aesthetics more than functionality."

"I'm afraid you've lost me, Sir. Early Warning system for what exactly?"

"Look at it this way. The Time Gate restricts rapid movement from one Time to another. Pluto's job, is to make sure no unsanctioned travel occurs, and to punish and or destroy those who violate all the stupid little rules Chronos attached to the Gate. Sometimes that means completely closing the Gate, and Freezing Time in place while she attends to a problem. Otherwise, the Gate is always partial open so that time will move normally. As for the World Gate, due to certain issues which you'll figure out on your own, it can't be closed, or restricted the same way. Instead, it keeps track of movements between this Dimension and others. As it's new Guardian, it'll be your job to keep tabs on these travelers, and if they misbehave, track them down and kick them out. Guests are welcome, but only so long as they behave themselves."

"So... I'm really just a rather bored security guard staring at security cameras all the time...."

"More or less. Your Senshi Duties will remain unaffected, but you will have to check in at the Gate from time to time. To check your messages if you will. If anything really important happens, the Gate will notify you immediately. Otherwise it's automated, and won't bother you every few seconds with everything that passes through. You're mainly to look out for Trespassers, and Accidents.

"Trespassers, such as Soul Devourers?"

"Good, you catch on quick. Yes, you'll be able to track all of them whenever they cross over. I know you can feel when they're close, but now you'll be able to know when and where they arrive in our dimension. There are a few more things you need to know about your Duties, but you'll figure out most of them as you go along. But, you do need to know one very important thing. No one likes a meddler.

"Most of the beings who will be passing through are outside your pay-grade so to speak. Unless I personally tell you otherwise, leave them be. Small-fry are yours to do as you please. Just make sure they stay small-fry, and don't upset anybody. Some of them are still a little mad over the whole Pharaoh 90 incident."

"Which I can't be blamed for. I didn't even have my powers then."

"They don't care. The World Gate's been without a monitor for several Millennia, and all manner of Trespassers and Accidents have had to be dealt with. Now that you and your fellow Senshi have finally started acting again, they may calm down a little, but they're still holding a grudge for having to do the dirty work themselves."

"Does that include you?"

"Hell no. Been fun watching them actually have to do some occasional work, instead of foisting it off on others. Character building you might even say."

Jordan thought all this over for a few minutes, idly noting that they seemed to have spent a majority of conversation walking around a scale model of the Solar System. Little blimps appeared here and there, though there meaning escaped him at the moment. This was a lot of information. Some of it was even a little confusing.

"I have to admit, this is a much better conversation than the one I had with Chronos a few weeks ago. I think he's still mad that I choose not to get shackled to the majority of the Rules he slapped onto Trista."

"Like I said, he's a stick in the mud. Rules are nice, but too many rules, and people start Rebelling. Look at how Jorowyn handled things. Not that I'm letting you off easy, I will have other Rules for you later. But for now, I'll leave you to get used to the job."

Before Jordan could reply, everything went black.

* * *

As the darkness gradually faded, he felt someone shaking him, and calling his name. It took a moment to wake up enough to realize it was Ami. Who sounded worried.

He sat up, putting his conversation with Vulcan away for later, while he dealt with whatever crisis had popped up.

"What? What is it? What happened? Where's Morgan?"

Ami smacked him on the shoulder, before she started laughing.

"Nothings wrong, other than you. I couldn't wake you up."

Jordan blinked at her a few times, before hissing in pain. Now that they were both awake, the feeling was coming back into the arm she'd been using as a pillow. With a vengeance. He rubbed his arm, looking down at the Ami shaped red mark on it.

"I wasn't asleep. Not exactly. Someone wanted to have a talk with me."

She looked at him, confused. Before she could ask anything, they were interrupted by someone beating on the door.

"You two better have clothes on, because some of us are hungry, and Room Service won't let anyone but you order food."

Jordan smirked at Ami's blush.

"Guess that means I have to get up. I don't suppose you thought to bring a change of clothes last night?'

"I wasn't really planning to spend the night here. Not until.."

"Until I accidentally Soul-Bonded with you. I'm sorry about that. We'll discuss it more later. For now, use the Chibis as an escort, and go get changed. I'll be up soon."

She started to turn to go, before looking back at him.

"Is it really as bad as you keep trying to make it out to be?"

"No, by Phaetonian standards, it's supposed to be the ultimate expression of love between two people."

"Then why are you so upset over it?"

He frowned for a moment, trying to think how best to phrase his response.

"I'm not upset, not exactly. It's just that the Bond formed without any warning. It should have taken years for it to get to this point. Especially considering that I know for a fact, we haven't done anything that normally triggers the Bond."

"Pardon?"

"You do remember, I said this was a kind of Marriage didn't I?"

It took her a moment, but the deep crimson blush and the chaotic storm of emotions that he suddenly picked up from her, told him she had caught on.

"Now, before Morgan actually breaks down the door, you should go ask for that escort. We'll continue this conversation later. And away from eavesdroppers."

The last was said as he got up from the door, swung it open, spilling all three Chibis into the room.

They stared up guiltily, before all three hastily got up, and ran back to the furniture fort they had apparently remade last night in Jordan's common room.

"You three, take Ami upstairs and make sure she gets dressed in peace. I'll clean this mess up, and be up there in a few minutes."

"You're not mad about the eavesdropping?"

"I never said that."

* * *

"Can we please eat now?"

Jordan glanced up from his mostly empty plate of french toast, and smirked at Morgan and the other two Chibis as they sat impatiently at the far end of the table.

"Is everyone else finished eating yet?"

They all looked to where Serena was getting her fourth helping of French Toast.

"No. But..."

"Then, no. You can't eat, until after everyone else has."

"You're not being fair!"

"And eavesdropping this morning on me and Ami was?"

"...."

"When Serena finishes that plate, you can all eat. Assuming she's actually left you anything to eat that is."

He glared at her, as she tried to sneak another piece from the serving platter. She hastily snatched her fork back, and started eating what she already had on her plate.

"Now, today, everyone is pretty much on your own. At least until dinner anyway. You should all be dressed appropriately, and at the restaurant by seven sharp. Make sure you ask for directions downstairs before you unleash yourselves on the city."

He turned to look at Ami, who poking at what remained of her breakfast,l and fighting back the occasional blush.

"I have a couple of errands I'd like to do today. You want to come along?" He glanced towards the girls, who had been waiting all morning to get her alone. "It'll help keep you away from the Vultures."

She glanced nervously at them, then toward Jordan.

"What do you have to do?"

"I need to go by headquarters and sign some paperwork, then I was going to go see some friends." He purposely let her feel the sadness when he said friends, so she'd know who he was talking about. "I think they'd like to meet you. Otherwise, the entire afternoon should be clear if there's something you'd like to do."

"There was a Museum I wanted to see while we were here..."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Oh, yah. You three can eat now."

* * *

"Is this where Zack...."

"Yah. This is where his family buried him. I'm told it was a nice ceremony."

"You didn't go?"

"No powers yet. I was still laid up at the Hospital on painkillers."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. Even if I had been here, not sure I could have avoided causing a scene. We might have been best friends, but our parents are different matters entirely."

"They can't possibly blame you for what happened."

"You'd be amazed what people can blame on other people, just to avoid having to actually deal with something."

They walked through the graveyard for a few minutes, until Jordan finally stopped in front of a gravestone.

_Zackarias Lee Staziak_

_Beloved Son and Friend_

_He Will Be Missed_

"Hi Zack. I know I was just here the other day, but I wanted you to meet someone." He pulled Ami over, and placed her between himself, and the grave. "Zack, this is Ami. Ami, Zack. Say Hello Ami."

"Hello... Zack."

Jordan smiled, then looked down at the grave.

"She's the one I was telling you about. Yah, the sexy bookworm." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately, while she blushed again. "I wish you two could have met. Would have been nice to finally watch someone beat you at chess. Morgan says hi. She'll probably come by later today and introduce you to her friends. Fran sends her Love. Though, I'm not sure I can repeat her exact words without a bar of soap. Oh, I almost forgot again." He reached into a pocket, and pulled out small chibi-fied Astro Boy toy. He bent over to place it in front of the grave. "I promised you a souvenir. Your very own Astro Boy. Try not to have too much fun with it. Sorry to say, but it's time for us to go. We've got to go see Fran, then Ami has a museum she wants to geek out in." He chuckled as she smacked him on the shoulder. "Behave, and I'll come see you again before I leave."

Ami followed him silently for a few moments, as they made their way back to the car.

"He meant a lot to you, didn't he?"

Jordan stopped, and stared up at a passing cloud for a few moments.

"It's hard to explain. We did argue and fight over things sometimes, but I don't think I've ever been closer to anyone until now. What we had, it's a lot like what you share with Serena and the others. We were so close sometimes, you'd think we were the same person, just in two different bodies. He took a bullet to try and save my life. You don't meet people like that every day. Hell, you can usually go your entire life, and not meet someone like that."

He went silent again, before finally resuming the small trek to the car.

* * *

"Time for you to meet Fran. I think you'll like her."

"Jordan, why are we at a Mental Institution. I thought you said we were going to see your friend Fran?"

"We are. She's inside."

"She works here?"

"I'm sure she'd love to, but no. She's a patient. Hopefully not for much longer though."

"What do you mean?"

"Zack's death hit her pretty hard. The fact that it was Ronnie who did it, made it worse."

"How?"

"She introduced him to us. He's her cousin. At the time, his family had just moved back to town, and she wanted him to make friends. Apparently, no one told us, or her, that he had a wrap sheet a mile long. Petty thefts mostly." He parked the car, and they started walking toward the building. "While he was hanging out with us though, he was mostly behaved. Couple of times where I had to break up a fight he'd start, but nothing that struck as odd. Anyway, after it all happened, Fran's brain just sort of, shut off for awhile. All the lights where on, but no one was home. Her parents checked her in here, and Mom's been paying for it the whole time. I was here the other day, and she was vocal again. And still has a great aim with a plate of pasta."

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. Don't worry, you'll like her. She's nice."

He held the door open for her, walked up to the Nurse's Station.

"Two guests for Fran Jacobs. Dr. Mizers should be expecting me."

The nurse glanced up, her eyes bugging out once she realized who Jordan was. A glance down showed a tabloid with his sharpie covered face on it.

"If you could give me two guest passes, and your tabloid, that'd be great."

The stunned nurse reached blindly for the paper, and the guest passes, while Jordan fished in his pocket for a pen. He took the passes, and handed them to Ami, while he filled out the Guest Log book, then took the paper. He quickly signed it, then handed it back to the nurse.

"Happy reading, nurse Daphne."

They walked off down the Hall, while Ami looked back at the nurse who was eagerly showing off her tabloid to another nurse.

"Does that happen a lot?"

"Sometimes. What I liked about being in Japan. Anonymity.

"And here, I thought it was all the fun of getting yourself hurt over and over."

"Nah, I just do that so I can be taken care of my sexy girlfriend."

Ami smacked him on the arm as they stepped into an elevator. They went up to the second floor, and Jordan led the way down another hallway. He stopped again outside of room 265. He knocked on the door before opening it.

"Fran, it's Jordan. I brought a friend I'd like you to meet."

"F-You Mallone."

"Great, you're in a good mood."

Jordan dragged Ami with him as he stepped fully into the room. Fran was standing by a wall, taping up carefully ripped photos of Jordan from various tabloids.

"If you like those so much, I can introduce you to the artist later."

She glared at him, as she taped up the last photo.

"Only if she'll take commissions to do it again."

"Sadly, she's been taught her lesson, and very much values being able to walk in public."

"Pity. So, you going to introduce the mouse, or we pretending she's not in the room?"

Jordan smirked as he turned to Ami.

"Ami, this is Fran. Fran, Ami."

Ami nervously extended her hand. Fran just stared at her for several uncomfortable moments, before turning to Jordan.

"So, is she as good in bed as she looks, or should I take her for a test drive?"

Jordan nearly choked himself to death from trying not to laugh. Ami turned the deepest shade of red he'd seen all day, utterly unable to react to the comment.

"She's pretty damn adorable when she turns that color. Happen often?"

Jordan could only nod his head, as he clutched his sides in pain. This wasn't quite what he was expecting, but it was nice to have Fran acting like her old self. Even if it did mean he was in trouble later.

"Jerk!" Ami smacked Jordan upside the head, knocking him over and finally sending him into a laughing fit. "You said she'd be nice."

Jordan tried to get himself under control as Ami kicked him a few times.

"Ah, the mouse has teeth. Feisty. I like that."

Fran winked at Ami, before sitting down on her bed, and leaning back against the wall.

"Please, stop. Can't. Breathe."

Jordan tried to get himself under control, as an exasperated Ami gave him one last kick before heading for the door.

"Easy mouse, it's just a joke. Though, I have to admit, I didn't take you for the violent type. Guess that explains a few things about why we never worked out, huh Mallone?"

She smirked down at Jordan, as he finally got himself under control, and shook his head at her.

"Technically, we never 'worked out', because even on the three dates we tried to go out on, you were attached to Zack at the hip. Sometimes literally."

Jordan's turn to smirk, as Fran flushed slightly.

"Sorry about that Ami, I wasn't quite expecting her to be in this good of a mood."

Fran nodded her head, then gestured for the two of them to sit on the bed as she recovered.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you like that, just a quirk. I like watching people squirm. And I'll admit, until I knew you were back in town, I wasn't doing so hot. They were considering upping my meds. Then Doc showed me that first tabloid cover after you left, and I couldn't help myself. Once I got moving, I had to stay moving."

"Good. We'll be in town for a few more days. Maybe I can talk the doctors into letting you go on a field trip. I can take you to see Zack if you want."

She looked away for a moment, staring out the barred window.

"Maybe." She smirked as she turned to look at Ami. "Is your new eye candy going to join us, or would I have you all to myself?"

Ami glared icily, then turned to Jordan.

"Oh, you can have him all to yourself. Just make sure he comes back in mostly one piece. I'll need to be able to get a proper hold on him to beat him properly."

Even though he picked up very faint traces of amusement from her, he couldn't tell if it was because she was making a joke, or she was actually thinking about beating him.

"Very feisty. I really like this one." Fran turned to look at Ami, and smiled faintly. "You make sure you hold onto him, and never let him go. Even if he is an occasional jackass. He means well. Now, I'm tired, and I want a nap. You can both leave now. I'll have Doc call you if I feel like going on that field trip."

With that, she shoved them both off the bed, and set about fixing up her pillow.

They took the cue, and excused themselves, closing the door as they left.

Jordan stood there silently for a moment, smiling sadly. Ami was about to lay into him, when she caught the sound from inside the room.

"She'll be OK. She needs it. She hasn't cried at all since then. Come on, I need to find Dr. Mizers before we leave. Can you go wait in the lobby for me? Please?"

She nodded her head after a moment, and started walking to the elevator. She paused before she went around the corner, and looked back at him.

"We'll talk about it later."

"I'll add it to the list."


End file.
